In a key development ahead of Nepal’s March 5, 2026, general elections, the Election Commission has published the official candidate roster, comprising 3,135 nominees from 63 parties holding 57 symbols. This announcement injects fresh momentum into the political landscape, where gender parity takes center stage with 1,772 female candidates outnumbering 1,363 males.
Nepal’s Constitution, through Articles 84 and 86, enforces a minimum 33% reservation for women, a policy bearing fruit: from 2023-2025, 91 women occupied seats in the 275-member House. Powerhouses like Nepali Congress and CPN-UML boast substantial female contingents, building on the 2019 local polls that elected 14,352 women to government roles.
Parallel to candidate formalities, border security is on high alert. India and Nepal have synchronized efforts to close checkpoints for 72 hours around election day, a measure to nix potential threats from across the frontier.
The pact was sealed at the 16th DIG-level border coordination conference in Biratnagar on Friday, involving APF and SSB. Both sides vowed stricter vigilance against infiltrators aiming to sabotage the vote.
‘Requesting the Indian side to shut posts two days before polls, they consented wholeheartedly,’ shared APF’s DIG Vishnu Prasad Bhatt. He described it as routine protocol, vital given the massive security buildup at voting sites. ‘Cross-border movement by dubious elements must be halted to protect the process.’
The meeting delved into multifaceted challenges: border policing, transnational crimes, third-country intrusions, human smuggling, fake notes, weapons trafficking, and drug syndicates. Such collaboration not only secures Nepal’s polls but reinforces Indo-Nepal security architecture.
This candidate unveiling, coupled with robust defenses, promises an election that upholds democratic integrity amid Nepal’s evolving political narrative.