Nepal's High-Stakes Election: 3,000 Candidates Vie for Power Amid Tight Security

"Election personnel, security staff, as well as the election materials, are already available in every polling station. There are a total of 23,112 voting centres, and we have completed all the preparations. Voting will start tomorrow at 7 AM and continue till 5 PM," said Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, the Joint Secretary and spokesperson of the Election Commission, Nepal, while talking to ANI.

On being asked about challenges, including security concerns, Bhattarai said, "All the voters are excited to participate in this election, so I don't think there will be any challenges for us. All 107 parties are contesting the election, and 3,000 candidates are in the field, so there will be a good environment for polling."

The Capital city, Kathmandu, has 10 parliamentary constituencies. Talking to ANI, Election Officer of Kathmandu-1 Churaman Khadka says, "We are ready for free and fair elections. Through this election, the House of Representatives will be formed with 165 parliamentarians elected under the first past the post system, and the remaining 110 members will be elected under the proportional representative system."

Sharing details of the security arrangements, Churaman Khadka said, "Three layers of security will be in place at the voting centres. The Army will be in the outer circle, the Armed Police Force will be in the middle, and the Nepal police will be deployed inside the premises."

He said, "We will start counting the ballot papers upon receiving all the ballot boxes. We have arranged all the security measures for count the ballot papers. CCTV cameras have also been installed in counting centres."

- ANI