A coordination meeting of organizations observing the upcoming March 5, House of Representatives election was held on March 1, in Nepalgunj, organized by the National Election Observation Committee (NIOG) Banke, with the aim of supporting a free, fair, and fear-free electoral environment.
The meeting decided that observers should coordinate among themselves and cover almost all local levels in the Banke district to monitor polling stations. Observers are expected to conduct their duties faithfully and professionally, operate within their assigned rights and areas while observing, and coordinate jointly in case of any unusual incidents for monitoring and supervision. The meeting also emphasized paying attention to whether polling stations and processes are human-rights-friendly.
Participants included Bhola Mahat, Coordinator, INSEC Lumbini Province Office, Nepalgunj; Basant Gautam, Chairperson, NIOG Provincial Committee; Namaskar Shah, Chairperson, NIOG District Committee, Banke; Hemraj Bhatt, District Secretary; Dwarka Adhikari, Chief, National Human Rights Commission, Nepalgunj; Ramesh Sitoula, Secretary, NGO Federation, Banke; Netra Prasad Sapkota, National Federation of Persons with Disabilities; Dila Shah, Central Vice President, BAS Nepal; Shobha Thapa Magar, ECO Nepal; Ramita Shah, Accountability Lab; Teknath Acharya, INSEC Nepalgunj; and Dhrubaraj Sharma, INSEC Banke Representative.
The meeting was chaired by Basant Gautam, Chairperson of the NIOG Provincial Committee.