Siraha: Local Football Tournament Allegedly Violates Election Code of Conduct

Siraha. A ward-level football tournament is reportedly being organized in Golbazar Municipality-3, Siraha, in violation of the election code of conduct to influence voters.

As the political atmosphere for the March 5 House of Representatives election heats up, allegations have surfaced that the ward chairperson is attempting to influence voters through the competition to support his candidate.

According to local residents, the tournament is intended to expand political influence. One local from the same ward alleged that Bishwanath Sah, the CPN party candidate for Siraha Constituency No. 3, contributed 100,000 rupees. According to him, the assistance was provided as part of a strategy to attract voters.

On the other hand, Ward Chairperson Dhan Prasad Lama clarified that he attended the program because he was invited as the chief guest. He stated, "An application for assistance has been submitted to the ward office. 

However, it is not permissible to provide any financial aid in violation of the current election code of conduct. No decision has been made yet regarding whether to provide it or not." Chairperson Lama was elected from the then CPN (Maoist) party in the 2074 and 2079 local elections.

However, the tournament's chairperson, Pramod Lama, stated that the program is being organized by the ward office itself. He mentioned that they are currently running the tournament at their own expense after the ward office promised to provide 100,000 rupees.

When the election code of conduct is in effect, direct or indirect financial assistance from public officials or candidates is considered a serious matter. This incident has raised questions regarding the transparency and adherence to the election code of conduct.