EC holds 2nd round of meeting with political parties

By A Staff ReporterKathmandu, Nov. 14: The Election Commission has held the second round of consultations with the political parties regarding preparations for the National Assembly and House of Representatives elections. 

The representatives from political parties representing the federal, provincial and local levels and officials of the Commission attended the all-party meeting held at the Commission’s office  on Thursday, the EC informed. 

During the meeting, representatives of the political parties provided valuable feedback on the proposed electoral programme, voter list updates, and other related matters. The Election Commission presented a detailed briefing on the proposed election schedule and the ongoing efforts to update the voter list.

Similarly, the political parties raised concerns on several other issues, including security arrangements for the elections, creating a conducive environment for the process, making the election cost-effective and ensuring full compliance with the electoral code of conduct.

Addressing the concerns and suggestions raised by the political parties, the Acting Chief Election Commissioner, Ram Prasad Bhandari, reassured the participants that the upcoming elections would be conducted in a free, fair, transparent, and peaceful environment. 

He informed that reliable security arrangements would be ensured for the elections so that the political parties and the candidates could freely reach out to voters, and voters could cast their votes without fear.

 He added that the Election Commission was carrying out all necessary preparations to create a conducive environment for the elections and urged all political parties to extend their support in this effort.

Furthermore, Bhandari said that in order to make the elections dignified and cost-effective, the implementation of election code of conduct would be made more effective. 

He also informed the meeting that the draft of the election code of conduct prepared by the Commission has been published on the Election Commission’s official website and it has sent to all political parties via email. 

He requested the political parties to study the draft and provide their feedback at the earliest.

The meeting was attended by Election Commissioners Dr. Janaki Kumari Tuladhar and Sagun Shamsher J. B. R., as well as the Commission’s Secretary, Mahadev Panth, among others. 

The government has set the date for the election for the vacant National Assembly (NA) seats for January 25, 2026 and HoR on March 5, 2026. 

EC’s schedule for NA election 

As per the schedule published by the EC, the political parties participating in the NA elections will have to register for election purposes from November 17-26. 

The approval of party registration and allocation of election symbols will take place on November 30.  The approval of the election programme and its publication in the Nepal Gazette is scheduled for December 2. 

The preparation and approval of the voter list (Electoral College) will be done by December 20 and on the same day, polling stations and centres will be determined. 

The office of the election officer will be established on December 31. 

The election process will be conducted from January 4-12, while election campaigning will take place from January 12-22. Voting will be held on January 25 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, and vote counting will begin the same day.

Provincial assembly members, mayors and deputy mayors of municipalities, and chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of rural municipalities are voters in NA election. 

Each prov incial assembly member’s vote carries a weight of 53, while the votes of municipal and rural representatives carry a weight of 19. 

The total voting weight of each province, calculated based on the number of voters is: Koshi Province 10,135, Madhes Province 10,839, Bagmati Province 10,352, Gandaki Province 6,410, Lumbini Province 8,753, Karnali 

Province 5,122 and Sudurpaschim Province 6,153. 

Out of the 19 vacant seats in the National Assembly, elections will be held for 18, while the nominated seat of Bamdev Gautam will be filled by another individual recommended by the government. 

Three members each will be elected from Koshi and Lumbini provinces, four from Madhes Province, and two each from Bagmati, Gandaki, Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces.