The Election Commission has kept a provision for parties to contest the upcoming federal and provincial elections with a single election symbol.
CPN (Maoist Center) led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, CPN (Unified Socialist) led by Madhav Kumar Nepal, Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) led by Upendra Yadav, and Nepal Samajwadi Party led by Baburam Bhattarai are currently working to contest the election forming a socialist center.
Many think that if such socialist center is formed, it will use the provision and contest the election with a single election symbol. If the left parties in the ruling coalition decide to contest the election on a single symbol they will have to apply with the Election Commission before the August 16 deadline along with the decision of the central committee of the parties concerned.
Maoist Center Spokesperson Krishna Bahadur Mahara told Setopati that the parties are discussing in a way that a joint front is formed including Maoist Center, Unified Socialist and JSP. “There is possibility of even contesting with a single election symbol,” Mahara added.
But Unified Socialist General Secretary Bedu Ram Bhusal clarified that the parties are nowhere near agreement to contest with a single election symbol as claimed by Mahara. “There is a greater possibility of contesting with the election symbol of respective parties,” Bhusal added.
Contesting election with a joint election symbol, however, is not simple despite clause (49) of the act related to political parties allowing parties to contest the election with a new election symbol or the symbol of one of the parties deciding to contest with a single symbol.
The parties will have to contest even in the proportional representation (PR) electoral system with the single symbol.
But a single parliamentary party will be formed in the name of the party that emerges the largest among the parties contesting on a single symbol.
Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Thapaliya conceded that there can be complexities including when any party out of those contesting the election on a single symbol split in the future. “We also can see there are complexities. The Election Commission will study if there are any issues tomorrow. Yes, the law is not perfect on this issue,” Thapaliya stated.
The act related to political parties has provision of the central committee of any party taking action against lawmakers for violating the whip of the parliamentary party. If lawmakers of other parties defy the whip of the parliamentary party leader elected from another party, there will be no chance of action against lawmakers for defying the whip of the parliamentary party formed after contesting on a single election symbol.
Another Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari also acknowledged that there can be problems in contesting the election on a single election symbol, and pointed that the parties, therefore, have not opted to contest election with a joint election symbol until now despite the Election Commission allowing them to contest with a joint symbol even in the last general election.
