Govt. seeking logistic support from neighbouring country for March 5 election

As the March 5 general elections are approaching Nepal government is preparing to request logistic support including vehicles from the two neighbouring countries mainly from India, to successfully conduct the polls.

“The Election Commission has sent its demand list to the government to be handed over to the neighbouring countries, India and China through diplomatic channels,” acting chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari said.

During a meeting with government officials and the commission staff, the representatives from the two countries have expressed their willingness to extend logistic support. A couple of weeks ago there was a meeting between the government and representatives of diplomatic missions, and development partners, in which Prime Minister Sushila Kaki had sought their support for the upcoming elections.

India had provided 200 vehicles as logistic support to Nepal government during the general election in 2022, which were utilized by the Election Commission and the various security agencies.

As during the September’s Gen Z movement around 600 government vehicles were either vandalized or burnt, Nepal government needs more vehicles this time. It has been estimated that at least 400 vehicles are required for smoothly conducting the elections.

The Election Commission is making all the necessary preparations for the Parliamentary elections scheduled for March 5, 2026, said acting chief of EC, Bhandari. The commission is capable to conduct the election as per schedule, he asserted. “We have already completed works related with election management. Now we are actively working towards the implementation of the plan we have prepared,” Bhandari told The Nepal Weekly.

The government is planning to recruit around 120,000 temporary security personnel for the election purpose as there is shortage of security people at the moment, he pointed out.

During the last Parliamentary election in 2022, there were 18.16 million eligible voters in Nepal. In the upcoming election, around 200,000 new voters are likely to be registered.