Nepal EC allots symbols to candidates for local body polls

Candidates, who filed nomination papers on April 24 from registered political parties, have been allotted symbols of their respective parties while the independents have received new symbols, Shaligram Sharma Paudel, the Spokesperson of the electoral body informed.

Earlier this week, the Election Commission had scrutinised the nomination papers and looked into complaints filed against them before publishing the final list of the candidates on Friday.

As per the electoral body, a total of 79 parties across the nation have filed nomination papers for the local body polls out of which the main opposition CPN-UML (Communist Party of Nepal- Unified Marxist Leninist) has filed candidatures from 33, 503 posts.

Similarly, Nepali Congress (NC) has fielded candidates for 31,425 posts and CPN (Maoist Center) for 22,279 posts. Likewise, CPN (Unified Socialist) has fielded 11,330 candidates while Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) has fielded 9,481 candidates.

Loktantik Samajwadi Party (LSP) has fielded 4,761 candidates while 12,220 independent candidates are in the fray.

A total of 152,465 candidates had filed their nominations for May 13 local level elections for 35,221 posts in 753 local body units. Many rebel candidates have withdrawn their nominations.

As many as 12,789 independent candidates are contesting for various posts in the upcoming May 13 local level elections. The Election Commission (EC) has said it is providing election symbols from 40 different types.

The 40 election symbols include cat, toad, eagle, banana, rose, head of he-goat, zebra, wild boar, wild water buffalo, pineapple, crow, bear, kangaroo, duck, mango, lantern, clock tower, log, pressure cooker, gas cylinder, ornament, blouse, frock, chulesi, tap, tyre, and rickshaw.

The Commission has arranged a list of electoral symbols in schedule 27 of the local level election directory for the independent candidates. (ANI)