Election Commission is conscious on use of IT: Officiating Chief Commissioner

Kathmandu, Jan 15: Officiating Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari has said that the Election Commission is sensitive to the use of information technology in election management.

In the context of the House of Representatives member election, 2082, while inaugurating the training on integrated election management information system and cyber security for the Commission's computer operators starting today in Kathmandu, he stated that the Election Commission is aware on the use of technology in this election to the Member of House of Representatives on March 5, the scheduled date following the uprising of September 8 and 9, 2025.

Officiating Chief Election Commissioner Bhandari said, "After the legal provision to stop the collection of voter lists once the election date is announced was amended through an ordinance, the Commission was able to successfully collect the voter list this time by integrating the commission's voter list collection system with the national identity card system, making the process easier."

He reminded that the role of all staff working in the Commission's information technology will be crucial in reducing false information, propaganda, and hateful expressions that can spread through information technology.

Officiating Chief Commissioner Bhandari mentioned that the role of information technology would be important in fully adhering to the election code of conduct, promoting campaigns, and conveying voter education to the public, adding that he is confident that the skilled personnel working in the Commission would play a key role in promoting its positive use.

The EC has embraced the IT technology across its various functions including the voter registration, voter list management, event tracking system, management of candidate's expenditure management system, observers' management, registration of candidacy nominations and the announcement of election results. 

The EC has made voter registration more accessible to citizens through a pre-enrollment system and with the connection to the National ID system. 

Commission Secretary Krishna Bahadur Raut said the use of IT in the election management has been a high priority for the EC since the past and the EC is additionally effortful to implement an advanced technology. 

Underlining the need for the positive use of IT to ensure elections are held an impartial, fair, fearless and transparent atmosphere, he called for preventing its potential abuse during the election. "This type of event will remain productive for cyber hygiene," he said. 

Computer operators from the seven Province Election Offices and 77 district election office have participated in the training. (RSS)