KATHMANDU, Nepal — Feb. 25, 2026 (ANI): Security agencies in Nepal say the country is fully prepared to ensure a free and peaceful House of Representatives election on March 5, with more than 300,000 personnel deployed nationwide, according to The Kathmandu Post. As voting day approaches, the government has intensified daily high-level security briefings.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Sushila Karki and Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal convened back-to-back meetings to review election preparedness and the overall law-and-order situation. According to a notice issued by the Prime Minister’s private secretariat, Karki received detailed briefings from the chiefs of all security agencies regarding election preparations and the national security environment.
Security agencies have identified around a dozen potential challenges, including clashes between political party supporters, communal and religious tensions, monarchist activities, escaped prisoners from the September Gen Z protests, and election boycott campaigns by certain political groups.
“We have more or less zeroed in on the elements that can pose security challenges, but those who spread rumors on social media, whether inside or outside the country, remain the major source of challenges that need to be addressed,” a senior security official told the newspaper. The official added that some communist factions and groups advocating the restoration of the monarchy and a Hindu nation are under close surveillance. The activities of controversial monarchist Durga Prasain and certain pro-royalist and communist groups calling for an election boycott are also being closely monitored.
Ram Rawal, press adviser to the Prime Minister, said chiefs of all security agencies agreed that misinformation and disinformation on social media pose the most serious technical and security threat to the polls.
A comprehensive security review was conducted in the presence of senior officials, including Chief Secretary Suman Raj Aryal, Chief of Army Staff Ashok Raj Sigdel, Home Secretary Rajkumar Shrestha, Inspector General of Nepal Police Dan Bahadur Karki, Inspector General of Armed Police Force Raju Aryal, and Chief of the National Investigation Department Tekendra Karki.
“The prime minister discussed both worst-case and best-case scenarios regarding the security situation. All four heads of the security agencies assured the prime minister that, for the first time in Nepal’s election history, such a large-scale security deployment has been made,” Rawal said. More than 300,000 personnel have already been deployed across the country, with additional forces on standby for emergencies.
The Nepali Army and Nepal Police have also established dedicated IT cells to counter misinformation, disinformation, deepfakes, and other manipulated content circulating online.
Following the meeting at Baluwatar, Prime Minister Karki said the security situation surrounding the elections has remained satisfactory. In a post on Facebook, she said all mechanisms had been mobilized with vigilance, strict monitoring, and effective coordination.
“There is no room for doubt regarding the security arrangements. Taking potential challenges and risks into account, all mechanisms have been mobilized with necessary vigilance, strict monitoring, and effective coordination,” she said, urging citizens to vote confidently and without fear.
Earlier in the day, a high-level security committee meeting at the Election Commission concluded that there were no major threats that could disrupt the polls. Election Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said security agencies had described the peace and security situation as robust and conducive for all political parties to carry out their activities peacefully.
Officials also said isolated incidents of confrontation should not be viewed as national-level problems, noting that local administrations had acted proactively to prevent escalation. Security agencies maintained that the overall environment across the country was becoming increasingly favorable for the March 5 elections. (ANI)
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