Kathmandu: Prime Minister Sushila Karki held discussions with senior officials of the Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday regarding the preparations for the upcoming House of Representatives election, scheduled for Falgun 21.

During the meeting held at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar, Prime Minister Karki met with Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari, Commissioners Dr. Janaki Kumari Tuladhar and Sagun Shumsher Rana, along with other EC officials.

The Commission briefed the Prime Minister that over 60 percent of the election preparations have been completed. Based on current progress, the EC expressed confidence that the election can be held on the announced date.

Acting Chief Commissioner Bhandari stated that political consultations have shown a positive environment for participation. “So far, no party has expressed unwillingness to take part in the election. On the contrary, even groups and parties that boycotted or obstructed elections in the past are now ready to participate,” he said.

He also mentioned that the registration of new political parties and inclusion of new voters in the list have been encouraging. To handle the increased workload, the Commission has extended working hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., deployed additional manpower, and ensured immediate resolution of technical issues in the online voter registration system.

Similarly, Namraj Ghimire, Director General of the National Registration Department, informed that the Department is prepared to share biometric data collected for the National Identity Card program with the EC to support voter registration. Starting Thursday, the Commission will begin integrating voter data based on national identity details after completing final technical tests overnight.

So far, 22 national and two international observer organizations have applied to monitor the upcoming elections. The EC has also circulated a draft of the election code of conduct to political parties for feedback and is preparing to publish the election schedule soon.
Prime Minister Karki, during the meeting, inquired about the possibility of reducing the campaign spending limit for candidates and introducing inter-district voting arrangements to make the process more convenient for voters.