Kathmandu: The Election Commission has removed the names of 76 individuals from the closed lists submitted by political parties under the proportional representation (PR) system for the upcoming House of Representatives election scheduled for Falgun 21.

Issuing a statement on Tuesday, Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said the decision was taken after a detailed review of the lists based on prevailing laws related to candidate eligibility and disqualification, complaints received, and information provided by the political parties.

According to the Commission, the highest number of disqualified candidates—21—were blacklisted by the Credit Information Center. Similarly, 25 candidates were removed as their names were also included in the proportional representation lists for Provincial Assemblies. Ten candidates were disqualified for failing to pay fines imposed by the Election Commission within the stipulated time.

In addition, four individuals were found to be under the minimum age of 25, while three were disqualified because their names were either missing from the voter list or registered in the wrong constituency. Political parties themselves requested the removal of 10 candidates, and one name was removed after a male candidate was recommended in place of a female, violating gender requirements.

Party-wise, one candidate each from the Nepali Congress and the CPN (UML), and three from the Nepal Communist Party were removed. Spokesperson Bhattarai noted that some candidates were disqualified on more than one ground.

Following this decision, the Commission has begun the process of finalizing the remaining candidates on the proportional representation closed lists. The move is seen as part of the Commission’s effort to ensure fairness, transparency, and strict adherence to the election code of conduct and legal standards.