Kathmandu, 18 Jan: Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari stated that the preparations for the election of the House of Representatives, scheduled for Falgun 21(5 March, 2026), are progressing as per the approved timetable. He mentioned that election offices have been established in all constituencies as of Magh 2(16 Jan), in line with the commission’s schedule, and that about 90 percent of the work is complete in terms of preparations.
During a discussion on Saturday at the Election Commission regarding election preparations with Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal, Bhandari informed that the commission is advancing preparations for both the House of Representatives and the National Assembly elections simultaneously.
He said, “As per the timetable approved by the Commission, the election work is progressing regularly and according to schedule. Election offices have been established. In terms of election preparedness, we have now reached about 80-90 percent.” He also emphasized making the enforcement of the election code of conduct effective. He added that the commission would monitor the implementation of the code of conduct in detail and enforce it based on past experiences as well.
In the discussion, Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal assured that the government would leave no stone unturned in ensuring election security. Minister Aryal also committed to making the coordination work between the ministry and the commission more effective.
He said, “We have identified areas requiring dual coordination between the ministry and the commission, and cooperation will be ensured. The government is adequately prepared from its side regarding security arrangements. The government guarantees security as per the integrated security plan covering election preparations, the voting process, and vote counting.”
Election Commission Secretary Krishna Bahadur Raut provided information about the main work carried out by the commission so far. Secretary Raut stated that the work for the proportional representation election is moving ahead as per schedule, and the commission has progressed in the work related to the direct (first-past-the-post) system. He informed that the printing of ballots for the National Assembly member election is complete and they are in the stage of being sent to the concerned offices. He mentioned that for the election of 18 National Assembly members, one member has already been elected unopposed, and elections will be held for the remaining 17.
According to Raut, over 6.1 million proportional representation ballots have been printed as of Friday. Out of a required total of approximately 20.8 million ballots, printing is ongoing at an average daily rate of around one million. He stated that the ballot design for the direct election will be approved and printing will commence soon after the nomination process concludes on Magh 9.
He also mentioned that the process of procuring election materials has been handed over to the district offices, and work is proceeding accordingly. He informed that priority is being given to procurement from institutions under the government.
