KATHMANDU, Nepal — Nepal has mobilized its army across the country to reinforce security ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for March 5, as authorities step up preparations to ensure a peaceful polling process.
Under the Integrated Election Security Plan, the government is deploying 79,727 Nepal Army personnel nationwide to support the Nepal Police, the Armed Police Force, and temporarily hired election police. With about a month remaining before voters head to the polls, the deployment is aimed at strengthening security for elections to the House of Representatives.
“The Nepal Army has been mobilized in line with the decision of the Government of Nepal and the Integrated Security Plan,” Brigadier General Rajaram Basnet, spokesperson for the Nepal Army, said. “As part of election security, we have established bases and are already conducting joint patrols with other security agencies.”
As part of the security arrangement, the army will replace police forces at airports, prisons, and other sensitive installations. Officials said this will allow police personnel to be redeployed to the field for election-related duties.
Basnet said joint patrols are being conducted to assess polling centers and arrange security management accordingly. He said election security will be implemented in three phases: before the election, during polling, and after voting concludes.
During the pre-election phase, the Nepal Army is providing security for ballot paper printing. “Joint exercises involving personnel from all security agencies, separate ground patrols, and aerial patrols by the Nepal Army will continue,” Basnet said.
Under the plan, the Nepal Army will provide security to polling stations from the third security ring in coordination with the Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force. Nepal Police will be deployed in the first ring, followed by the Armed Police Force in the second ring, with the Nepal Army positioned in the outer third ring.
“However, the configuration of these security rings may change depending on the situation,” Basnet said.
In the post-election phase, security personnel will be deployed to ensure the safe transportation of ballot boxes, maintain security at polling stations, and protect vote-counting centers.
More than 338,000 security personnel will be mobilized nationwide under the plan, including members of the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, election police, intelligence agencies, and other security units. (Source: IANS)
