KAHTHMANDU, Feb 15: Paving the way to giving full shape to the Election Commission, the Parliamentary Hearings Special Committee (PHSC) on Tuesday endorsed Narendra Dahal, Ishwari Prasad Paudyal and Sudheer Kumar Shah for appointment as election commissioners.
The committee meeting on Tuesday afternoon unanimously endorsed the three as recommended by the Constitutional Council.
The Constitutional Council on January 27 had recommended the three names. The president will appoint the commissioners following endorsement from the parliamentary panel. The appointments are crucial as the country must hold three key elections by January 2018.
Currently, chief commissioner Ayodhee Prasad Yadav and commissioner Ila Sharma are the only office bearers in the five-member EC.
Paudyal had worked as defense secretary and spokesperson at the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority. Likewise Dahal had worked in the EC and also served as chief district officer in various districts.
Sudheer Kumar Shah had served in various districts as chief district officer and as joint secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Speaking in the committee meeting, Paudyal and Shah said they would make efforts to allow Nepali citizens abroad to cast votes in the coming elections. While Dahal said he will work for using Electronic Voting Machine developed by Nepali youths in the coming elections.
Lawmakers in the meeting had asked the election commissioner nominees about their plans to minimize election expenditure, holding election in free, fair and fearless environment and enhancing the capacity of the commission.
Just one complaint had been registered at the committee against Shah charging him with transferring the ownership of public land in his wife’s name when he was the chief of the land revenue office.