Kathmandu: Following the dissolution of the House of Representatives and the announcement of mid-term elections for Falgun 21, the Election Commission (EC) has begun preliminary preparations for the polls.

The commission has canceled all programs related to the by-election in Rupandehi Constituency No. 3, which was earlier scheduled for Kartik 17, and has redirected its focus to the upcoming nationwide election.

Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said that formal consultations with the government have begun, along with initial managerial planning. Newly appointed Finance Minister Rameshwor Khanal has already announced that the budget will be revised to allocate the necessary funds for election management.

Background of Political Transition
The decision follows a dramatic political turn triggered by the Gen-G movement on Bhadra 23 and 24, which led to the resignation of then-Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. President Ram Chandra Poudel appointed former Chief Justice Sushila Karki as the Prime Minister on Bhadra 27, dissolved the House of Representatives, and called for fresh elections.

Uncertainty Over Commissioners’ Future
Despite the announcement, internal confusion persists within the EC. There are doubts over whether the Gen-G generation-led government will retain the current commissioners, who were appointed under the quota of major political parties.

“They do not seem confident until the government issues an official statement on whether to keep or remove the commissioners,” a source within the commission said.

Concerns Over Voter Registration
A major concern remains voter registration, which has not been updated since 2079 BS. If the government does not open voter registration soon, a significant number of young Gen-G voters could be excluded from the election process.

By law, voter registration is closed once an election date is announced, but experts say the government can bring an ordinance to update the voter roll given the extraordinary political circumstances.