KATHMANDU, August 13: The government has requested the Election Commission to provide umbrella as election symbol to the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal (RJPN) as demanded by the party in the third round of local elections. 

Such proposal was floated at a meeting held with the election commissioners in the presence of RJPN leaders. 'They [prime minister and ruling party leaders] requested us to provide the election symbol to the RJPN as demanded by the party. But we expressed our inability to do citing legal provisions," said election commissioner Narendra Dahal informing that election symbol umbrella has already been claimed by another party before the RJPN was formed. 

RJPN, the party formed after the merger of six Madhes-based parties, has been registered as a new party with the election body. The party had boycotted the first and second rounds of the local elections. 

The EC, however, said providing new election symbol is not possible because ballot papers for Province 2 elections have already been printed and election law prohibits the election body to grant a new election symbol in between the elections, since the local election process started on May 14. 

"We suggested to them to contest the elections by picking any one of the election symbols of the six parties," said commissioner Dahal. Leaders of the RJPN are reluctant to use any of the symbols of the six parties.  

Commissioner Dahal said they can provide new election symbol to the RJPN for the upcoming provincial and central parliamentary elections. 

 
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