KATMANDU, Dec 4: The Election Commission (EC)'s election quiz - the Public Service Announcements (PSAs) - prepared as a part of voters' education has courted controversy after CPN-UML questioned its content. The party has accused Election Commissioner Ila Sharma of promoting certain Nepali Congress leaders and demanded action against her saying the quiz content was biased.
Commissioner Sharma, however, said there was nothing wrong with the quiz and all leaders of major parties were given equal priority in the election quiz. "Altogether seven episodes of the quiz related to elections were produced but they questioned when last episode was broadcast whereas election constituencies of other leaders i.e. Madhav Kumar Nepal, Pashupati Shumsher Rana and Yogesh Bhattarai among others were asked in quiz," said commissioner Sharma.
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PSAs based on election quiz were broadcast on various television channels.
Issuing a press release, the UML party has accused Commissioner Ila Sharma of taking the side of Nepali Congress candidates ahead of the polls. Commissioner Sharma, who was appointed from the Nepali Congress' quota, oversees the voters' education programs.
Commissioner Sharma said the joint-secretary of the commission decides the content of the PSAs. "I am doing my job genuinely. Why they should be paranoid?" asked Commissioner Sharma.
An informed election official said the election body had signed a contract with private a firm to produce PSAs, but it never got the chance to go through the content of the quiz.
