Kathmandu: The number of new voters and political parties has been increasing following the announcement on the night of September 12 of a fresh election to the House of Representatives (HoR), the lower house of the Federal Parliament.. The HoR election is taking place on March 5, 2026. According to the Election Commission (EC), over 200,000 new voters have been added to the voter list since the election announcement, while 21 new political parties have applied for registration with the EC. Some parties have already received their certificates, while others have split, and some are in the process of unification. As of November 11, a total of 209,552 new voters have been registered, including 122,740 men, 86,785 women, and 27 others. On November 11 alone, 23,638 new voters were added, comprising 13,066 men, 10,567 women, and 5 others, according to EC spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai.
Voter registration and updating work is underway across all seven provincial offices and 70 district offices of the EC, from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. The registration process, which began on September 25, will conclude on November 16. Prime Minister Sushila Karki has urged the younger generation to register their names on the voter list and participate in the upcoming election, viewing it as an opportunity to exercise their conscience. To register a name, the concerned person must be present with a Nepali citizenship certificate at the voter registration site designated by the concerned election office or the Election Commission and provide biometric details. To take time to provide details in this way, the person concerned can also opt for pre-registration online.
Currently, citizens registering their names must have completed 18 years of age by March 4, 2026 or the day before the election, to exercise their voting rights. The Election Commission has advised that citizens who have obtained a citizenship certificate but will not be 18 years old by March 4, 2026 should refrain from participating in the current registration in view of managing the surge in crowds of people turning up for voter registration observed at present. The Commission has urged those who will not be able to participate in the upcoming election not to rush in the current voter registration, as the list will be collected again after the election.
The Commission has also arranged for services to be provided in two shifts (12 hours daily) at a rate of six hours each shift in districts where more than 800 registrations occur daily, in order to manage the high pressure seen at registration sites and to facilitate smoother service. For this, spokesperson Bhattarai informed that an arrangement has been made for the deployment of an additional 14 staff from the National Identity Card and Registration Department to provide services in the three districts within the Kathmandu Valley.
For other districts, the Commission has corresponded with the Government of Nepal, Ministry of Home Affairs, to deploy manpower based on the pressure of service seekers as determined by the respective Chief District Officer. Registration for the voter list will be allowed after reaching the age of 16. As of November last year, the number of people who had reached 18 years of age and were eligible to vote was 18 million 168 thousand and 230. So far 125 political parties registered in EC So far the number of political parties registered with the Election Commission for election purposes has reached 125.
The party registration process is in progress as different 21 political parties have forwarded their documents for registration purpose after the HoR election for March 5 was announced. Recently, Bamdev Gautam-led Nepal Communist Party Unification National Campaign is annulled while Kabir Sop-led party is registered. Similarly, Harka Sampang-led Shram Sanskriti Party and Dinesh Raj Parsain-led Gatisheel Loktantrik Party are registered. Likewise, Rastriya JanAmukti Party and Janswaraj Party are registered after the split from their mother parties.
The party Statute, Regulation, and party manifesto flag, logo and proposed election symbol and the details of the party head office and its office bearers and central members’ details are required to submit before the Election Commission for new party registration. Similarly, the financial sources to operate the party should have submitted to the EC. Meanwhile, after the EC announces notice for political parties’ registration for election purpose, the both existing parties and new parties should be registered in the commission.
The EC is publishing notice on November 14 for registration purpose. The publication of the notice by the Commission for election purposes, the existing and new parties have to apply for re-registration if they want to participate in the election. Before that, the new party must have approved the registration application and taken the registration certificate. According to the election schedule approved by the Commission on October 6, the same letter will publish the party registration notice for the election preparation on November 14.
For this, the commission will give a time of 10 days from the next November 17 1 to 26. Only parties that register in this way will be able to apply for the registration of electoral parties towards the proportional electoral system. Discussion taking place between Prime Minister and Commission Meanwhile, the overall preparation of the election, coordination between the commission and the government, is being discussed between Prime Minister Karki and the office bearers, including the acting chief commissioner of the commission, Ram Prasad Bhandari, at the Prime Minister’s office today. The government has been consulting with the commission on how to give overseas voters the right to vote and what legal and technical possibilities for that. Earlier on September 23, discussions were held between Prime Minister Karki and the office bearers of the commission to ensure effective coordination for the election.
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