KATHMANDU: Officiating Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari opined that election expenses will remain transparent via the banking system.

During a meeting with bankers at the commission today, he noted that measures have been put in place to prevent cash transactions during elections.

He also revealed that the commission has established a dedicated directory for the purpose. The commission has made it mandatory for political parties and candidates to arrange separate bank accounts to manage their election spending in a transparent manner.

In the previous election, parties and candidates were not mandated to operate bank accounts for their expenditures. However, this year it is required for parties and candidates to make their election spending through bank accounts.

“A provision has been introduced allowing candidates to spend up to Rs 3.3 million, depending on geographical factors, with monitoring of the funds disbursed from the candidates’ accounts to ensure financial discipline,” Commissioner Bhandari said.

Secretary at the commission, Krishna Bahadur Raut, noted that through all candidates from remote districts like Kalikot have successfully opened bank accounts, many candidates from more accessible districts have yet to do so.

He emphasized that it should not be overly difficult to open an account, given the presence of at least one bank in all 753 local levels.

Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, joint secretary and spokesperson of the commission, reported that out of 3,406 direct (first-past-the-post) candidates, only 671 have opened bank accounts to date.

Santosh Koirala, President of the Nepal Bankers Association, indicated that some candidates have faced challenges in opening bank accounts in absence of national identity cards.