New Delhi, February 9: Nepal is set to hold elections on March 5, 2026. Preparations for the upcoming elections are in full swing. In this context, the Election Commission has released a list of candidates. This list includes a total of 3,135 candidates from 63 different political parties, representing 57 election symbols.
Among the candidates, there are 1,772 women and 1,363 men. According to Articles 84 and 86 of Nepal’s constitution, a minimum of 33 percent reservation for women is mandatory. A report from 2023 to 2025 indicated that out of 275 seats in the House, 91 were occupied by women. Major parties such as the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML have significant female representation. A 2019 report noted that 14,352 women were elected to local government positions.
In light of the elections, security preparations are being intensified. Security along the India-Nepal border has been tightened. To ensure secure voting, security officials from both countries have decided to close border checkpoints for 72 hours.
On Friday, the 16th Deputy Inspector General (DIG) level coordination meeting took place in Biratnagar, Morang district, between the Nepal Armed Police Force (APF) and the Indian Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). Both parties agreed to strengthen border control to prevent the infiltration of unwanted elements that could disrupt the elections.
DIG Bishnu Prasad Bhatt, spokesperson for the APF, stated that they requested the Indian side to close the border checkpoints two days before the elections, and they agreed to the proposal. According to the agreement, the checkpoints will remain closed for three days, including the election day.
He mentioned that closing the border checkpoints before elections is a common practice between both countries. Bhatt further explained that due to the heavy deployment of security agencies at polling stations during elections, it is essential to prevent the movement of unwanted groups across the border.
According to the APF, both sides also discussed border security, control of cross-border crimes, prevention of illegal entry of third-country nationals, human trafficking, counterfeit currency, arms and ammunition, as well as drug trafficking and trade.