March 5 Election Unstoppable: Minister Kharel

Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Jagadish Kharel, who also serves as the Government Spokesperson, has expressed his confidence that the March 5 election to the House of Representatives was now unstoppable.

Talking to the media persons at Bharatpur Airport on Friday, the Minister said, “The election announced for March 5 will be held at any cost. It will be conducted in an impartial and calm atmosphere.”

The Election Commission has been working on election-related activities at a breakneck speed. Over 64 political parties have submitted the closed lists of candidates for the Proportional Representation (PR) system,” he said, adding that more than one million new voters have been registered. With the recent appointment of new leadership in Nepal Police, the morale of the police personnel is also high.

The Minister also assured that the government has already ensured the necessary workforce and budget for conducting the democratic exercise.

“Political parties have already begun their election publicity campaigns in the districts, and they are preparing to nominate candidates for the direct election system,” he added. According to him, the questions and discussions from the public and media are now entirely focused on the elections, and there is no doubt over its timely conduct.

As the government spokesperson said, his role was to ensure the success of the election process and that was not affiliated with any political party.

“I have not yet decided whether to contest the election,” he declared, adding that his focus was on creating an election-friendly atmosphere. “I am actively engaging with political party offices to build an atmosphere conducive to free and fair elections. In my capacity of a member of the Council of Ministers, I am responsible for assisting the Prime Minister in this election mission. We are committed to ensuring a fair and impartial election on the scheduled date,” Minister Kharel explained.

He also highlighted that the government was making progress in laying the foundation for good governance alongside the election preparations.

On another note, he viewed it is the personal right of the present ministers whether they contest elections. “However, one thing matters,” he said. “If someone chooses to compete in the election, they should not abuse the post they hold. Their decision to serve the nation and approach the citizens should not be hindered in any way.” (RSS)