Only 11 Parties and 1,986 Candidates Open Bank Accounts for Election

The Election Commission has reported that just 1,986 out of 3,406 first-past-the-post (FPTP) candidates have opened mandatory bank accounts for the election scheduled for March 5.

According to the Commission, over one-third of candidates have yet to comply with the requirement as of Tuesday evening. Similarly, only 11 of the 65 political parties contesting the election have opened the required accounts.

Assistant Spokesperson for the Commission Sita Pun confirmed the list of parties that have opened accounts so far as Nepali Congress, Rastriya Janamorcha, Nepal Communist Party (Unified), Nepal Communist Party (NCP), Nepali Party for Nepal, Janata Samajwadi Party (JSPA), United Citizen Party, Miteri Party, Nepal Janata Samrakshan Party, Nepal Workers Peasants Party, and Rastriya Janamukti Party.

The Election Commission has mandated the opening of bank accounts to ensure transparency in financial assistance received by political parties and candidates. The measure also aims to enforce spending limits set by election laws and facilitate effective monitoring of campaign finances.

Under the Procedure for Operation and Management of Bank Accounts for House of Representatives Election Publicity, 2025, all registered political parties, their candidates for both proportional representation and FPTP systems, as well as independent candidates, must conduct all income and expenditure related to campaign financing through these designated accounts. The requirement applies to any financial transactions involving contributions received for election publicity purposes. -- RSS