Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Bhoj Raj Pokharel has said the Election Commission should have taken a call on the dispute of Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP).
Both the warring factions of JSP have expelled leaders of the other faction and informed the Election Commission to update the details about office-bearers accordingly. But the Election Commission decided to not recognize the action by the two factions and said the previously submitted details about party office-bearers will remain official as per Clause 25(6) of the regulation related to political parties.
"The Election Commission does not seem to have gone toward resolving the issue thinking the dispute can again come to it," Former CEC Pokharel told Setopati. "Completely resolving the dispute today instead of sweating over it tomorrow does not seem to have been priority of the Election Commission."
He compared this to the Election Commission's attitude during the past dispute of CPN and opined that such attitude hits credibility of the constitutional body. "There were many allegations that the Election Commission refused to take a decision on CPN under somebody's influence then. People are saying that the Election Commission has again taken a decision in a way that it benefits somebody under influence of the same powers," he elaborated.
The Election Commission had refused to recognize the Dahal-Nepal faction of CPN, that had expelled CPN Chairman and Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli, officially as CPN despite the faction submitting signature of around two-third of the central members.
It has again refused to recognize expulsion of four leaders of the Thakur-Mahato faction of JSP including Chairman Mahantha Thakur despite the Yadav-Bhattarai faction taking the decision with support of the majority of executive members.
The Thakur-Mahato faction has been supporting Oli and has now joined the Oli Cabinet.
He pointed that the credibility of Election Commission that has to hold both local and general elections in the next two years whether the Supreme Court (SC) reinstates the House or not, and added that such perception of biasness will erode public trust in the fairness of election it will hold.
"Credibility and prestige of constitutional bodies are connected with how the general public perceives the decisions they take. Many kinds of questions were raised about the prestige of Election Commission in the earlier decision process (of CPN). The Election Commission, therefore, should have been more careful now because questions were raised about its credibility."
