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CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Communist Party Coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal held a meeting at the residence of businessman Sharada Prasad Adhikari in Manbhawan, Lalitpur on Sunday. 

Adhikari is a trusted and close businessman of Dahal.

They had a conversation for over an hour, according to a source. 

After holding a meeting with Dahal, Oli went straight to Gundu, Bhaktapur. 

With the unification of new parties for the House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5, informal discussions are underway among the leaders of the three major political parties—Nepali Congress, UML and the Nepali Communist Party—for electoral alliance.

However, the alliance has not been finalized.

They discussed contemporary political issues and electoral alliance for the forthcoming elections, Dahal Secretariat said.

Meanwhile, Dahal is leaving for India to take part in a program today. 

As Nepal debates the future of its electoral system, the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) has once again come into focus following recent political developments and renewed policy advocacy. Former chief election commissioner Neil Kantha Uprety said shifting the scheduled election date from March 5 could increase the likelihood of adopting EVMs, as it would allow more time for voter awareness and preparation.

“If we are able to shift the election date, then I don’t see any harm,” Uprety said. “The chances of using electronic voting machines would increase, and there would be time to make people aware of how they are used.”

EVMs are a digital method of voting intended to replace traditional paper ballots. However, their recent use during the CPN-UML convention on Dec 17 exposed several challenges. Despite expectations that electronic voting would be faster, the process was delayed due to technical glitches and voter confusion, largely caused by the large number of candidates.

Polling began at 9:20 am, but only 532 delegates managed to cast their votes during the first five hours, according to the party’s Election Commission. Although 80 electronic voting machines were deployed, voting remained sluggish. Delegates reportedly took anywhere from nine minutes to more than two hours to complete the process.

“We had expected a voter to take 25 to 30 minutes on average, but in reality it took between nine minutes and two hours and 12 minutes for some,” said Election Commission Vice-chairperson Sanuraja Pokharel.

Ram Prasad Rimal, founder of the Ramlaxman Group and the pioneer of EVM development in Nepal, attributed the delays to planning and awareness gaps.

“The process was slow because we were given a fewer number of machines than required, as the number of voters turned out to be higher than expected,” Rimal said. “Another major reason was that voters were not properly informed about how to use the machines. Awareness was not provided on time. People therefore felt the system was difficult, even though it is not.”

Minister for Communications and Information Technology Jagadish Kharel said at a public program that electronic voting could be implemented in the upcoming general elections. Emphasizing the need to modernize Nepal’s electoral system, Kharel argued that electronic voting could be introduced at a relatively low cost. He said it was unfortunate that, even in the era of information technology, billions of rupees continue to be spent on printing paper ballots and transporting them securely over several days.

However, Kul Bahadur GC, information officer and assistant spokesperson of the Election Commission, said there is no official communication from the ministry regarding the use of EVMs in the upcoming election. “As per the information we have, the election will be conducted using paper ballots,” he said.

Nepal has experimented with EVMs before. During the 2008 Constituent Assembly elections, EVMs were piloted in Morang, Dhanusha, Kaski, Rolpa, and Kanchanpur. Observers noted that the pilot was successful, signalling potential for future use.

Despite this early experience, Nepal has continued to rely on traditional paper ballots in major elections, printing and manually counting millions of ballots, often resulting in slow vote counts and administrative challenges. Political parties remain divided on electronic voting, with some skeptical of technology and others wary of losing control over traditional vote-counting processes.

Uprety said the EVMs used in 2008 were functional and helped build public trust but could not be sustained. Imported from India, the machines had limitations, including low power capacity and limited features. In contrast, he said, today’s EVMs are far more powerful and interactive.

According to Uprety, the use of EVMs would significantly reduce invalid votes and cut election costs by nearly 50 percent compared to paper ballots. He argued that technology has advanced rapidly and Nepal must adopt it or risk falling behind.

He acknowledged that limited time remains to introduce EVMs for the upcoming election, making their use unlikely this time. However, he stressed that efforts should continue and suggested postponing election dates if possible to allow better preparation. To raise public awareness, he recommended the use of social media videos and other digital platforms.

Rimal said EVMs are extremely easy to use and have already been successfully tested by the Nepal Blind People Federation and the National Disability Federation. Since people with visual and physical impairments were able to use the machines without difficulty, he argued that they would be even easier for the general public.

He said building one machine costs around Rs 200,000, with costs likely to decrease if the government took ownership of production. Each machine has a lifespan of about 20 years. To conduct elections across 70 constituencies, around 22,000 machines would be required. However, he acknowledged that using EVMs in the upcoming election is highly unlikely, as designing and manufacturing them would take at least six months.

Rimal said proposals have already been submitted to relevant ministries, informing them of the time required for EVM implementation, but no clear timeline or response has been received. He added that EVMs would virtually eliminate invalid votes.

The machines function much like smartphones, providing voice instructions in Nepali and guiding voters step by step, alerting them to any errors. 

Uprety said inter-regional voting is technically possible but not feasible at present, as voters are unlikely to spend an entire day and significant money just to cast a vote. Remote voting, he argued, would allow voters to participate from their current locations and increase satisfaction.

He added that EVMs are reusable and cost-effective, whereas paper ballots are expensive and single-use. Public distrust of EVMs remains a major challenge, he said, noting the irony that people trust many technological systems in daily life but hesitate to trust voting machines.

Rimal said the machines are “100 percent trustworthy” and cannot be manipulated. “There is no internet connection, so there is no chance of hacking,” he said. Both Rimal and Uprety agreed that manipulation is easier with paper ballots, whereas EVMs make adding or subtracting votes far more difficult.

Push for overseas voting grows

Policy advocacy groups are pushing for broader reforms, particularly to enable voting for Nepalis living abroad. Drawing lessons from countries such as Mexico (2024) and the Philippines (2025), the Nepal Policy Institute (NPI) has recommended a hybrid voting model combining embassy-based voting, postal voting, internet-based i-Voting, and multi-day in-country voting for returning overseas voters.

According to the NPI policy brief, while internet voting represents the most sustainable long-term option, a hybrid approach is the most realistic way to ensure maximum participation in the fast-approaching 2026 elections.

The brief stresses the need for independent cybersecurity audits and strong public communication campaigns to build voter trust. It cites international data showing that during the Philippines’ 2025 elections, 98 percent of overseas registrants preferred i-Voting, while 85 percent of technology-assisted votes in Mexico’s 2024 elections were cast online.

The report also recommends a communication strategy using both social and traditional media to inform voters about registration, voting options, and safeguards. It clarifies a distinction often misunderstood by the public: e-Voting refers to electronic voting machines at polling stations, while i-Voting allows voters to cast ballots securely online from any location. As the brief notes, “i-Voting is a distinct and more inclusive innovation that has already been implemented in more than 30 countries worldwide.” More than 115 countries have provisions for external voting.

The push for overseas voting is not new. In 2018, the Supreme Court directed the government and the Election Commission to guarantee voting rights for Nepalis living abroad. A joint bench of Justices Sapana Pradhan Malla and Purushottam Bhandari ordered the state to make legal, logistical, and technological arrangements.

Despite the directive, the order remains unimplemented. According to the 2021 census, nearly 2.2m Nepalis live abroad, many of whom remain unable to exercise their voting rights. As Nepal moves closer to the 2026 polls, debates over EVMs, internet voting, and electoral reform continue, with authorities under growing pressure to balance technological innovation, voter trust, and constitutional obligations.

The code of conduct for the upcoming elections to the House of Representatives has stipulated that the government and semi-government bodies are not allowed to carry out any activities in favor of or against any political party.

The code of conduct set by the Election Commission for the March 5 elections has provided that no resources of any project should be provided in a way that they can be used in favor of or against any party or candidate. No work should be done that would obstruct the election management and voter education and other programs run by the Commission in any way, or that materials or information related to the election should be damaged or altered in any way.

According to the code of conduct, no government or semi-government body or public organization or university or school or college should be used for or against election-related gatherings or publicity. Provisions have been made that jackets, shirts, vests, T-shirts, hats or caps, shawls, masks, lockets or any other type of clothing or symbolic materials such as stickers, logos, bags, badges, tattoos, etc. bearing the election symbols of political parties or candidates cannot be produced, used, sold, distributed or displayed.

The code of conduct has made provisions that political activities or publicity cannot be carried out on the property of a private organization or institution owned by any individual without the permission of the house or landowner.

The code of conduct prohibits the use of children in election publicity. The code of conduct also makes provisions that any kind of procession, public meeting, corner meeting, meeting, gathering or election propaganda cannot be carried out in a way that obstructs public mobility.

It also provides that false, misleading, or hateful information cannot be disseminated in any media, including social media.

With just two and a half months remaining before the March 5 parliamentary elections, political activities across the country have intensified. Prime Minister Sushila Karki has held meetings with leaders of major political parties, including KP Sharma Oli, Sher Bahadur Deuba, and Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Meanwhile, Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Jagadish Kharel, has been visiting party offices and holding discussions with party officials.

In a major political development, Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah and Kulman Ghising have joined the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and signed a triparty agreement with party Chair Rabi Lamichhane and Ghising as Vice-chair. The agreement names Shah as the party’s prime ministerial candidate.

Other political parties, including the CPN-UML, Nepali Congress, Nepal Communist Party, and newly formed parties such as Janadesh Party, Gatisheel Loktantrik Party, and Bibeksheel Loktantrik Party, are also engaged in internal preparations. They have begun allocating candidates for the election and have already submitted closed lists of proportional representation candidates to the Election Commission.

As political parties mobilize their resources and gear up for the March 5 polls, attention has also turned to the Election Commission, the constitutional body responsible for conducting elections in Nepal.

Over the past week, the Election Commission has taken several key steps, including initiating the printing of ballot papers, collecting the closed lists of proportional representation candidates from political parties, determining candidate expenditure limits, establishing the Election Information Dissemination and Coordination Center (EIDC), publishing the voter list, approving a temporary voter list collection program, and issuing the Election Code of Conduct 2025.

The commission has also begun correcting errors in the proportional representation lists submitted by political parties. According to the Election Commission, a closed list of proportional representation candidates has been submitted from 64 political parties to contest the election under 58 election symbols. The closed lists submitted by the political parties between Dec 28 and 29 will be examined until Jan 4.

Following the examination, political parties will be asked to reconcile their lists between Jan 5 and 11. The commission will then verify the revised lists from Jan 12 to 17. The closed lists are scheduled to be published on Jan 18, while the final list will be published on Feb 3.

Meanwhile, the commission has begun printing ballot papers. Proportional representation ballot papers will be printed first, followed by direct ballot papers. Printing is being carried out at the Janak Education Materials Center Limited in Sanothimi, Bhaktapur, with the process having started on Dec 31. The commission plans to print 10 percent additional ballot papers for proportional representation elections, and the process is expected to take 20 to 30 days.

Printing of direct ballot papers will begin after the proportional ballot papers are completed and the final list of candidates is published. As direct ballot papers vary by constituency, they will be printed accordingly.

The final voter list includes citizens who will have reached the age of 18 by March 4. According to the Commission, the list comprises 18,903,689 voters—9,663,358 males, 9,240,131 females, and 200 others. In comparison, the 2022 parliamentary elections had 17,988,570 registered voters. This marks an increase of 915,119 voters, including 522,552 males, 392,552 females, and 15 others.

For the March 5 elections, the Commission has designated 23,112 polling stations across 10,967 polling centers nationwide. This represents an increase of 885 polling stations and 75 polling centers compared to the 2022 elections.

The Election Information Dissemination and Coordination Center has been established at the Commission’s office to strengthen communication with voters, candidates, political parties, and other stakeholders, and to enhance coordination with the media. The aim is to ensure that the House of Representatives elections are conducted in a free, fair, transparent, and credible manner.

The EIDC consists of three coordinated units: the Election Information and Communication Centre (Press Office), the Information Integrity Promotion Unit, and the Digital Voter Education Unit.

Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari said that effective dissemination of factual and official information is essential to ensuring credible elections. He expressed confidence that the EIDC would help counter misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, and hate speech on social media during the election period. He also urged the media to uphold principles of self-regulation and responsible reporting.

Bhandari said the Commission has made necessary preparations to promptly remove misleading, rumor-based, and false information, including AI-generated deepfake content, circulating on social and digital media. He added that coordination has been established with social media platforms such as Meta, TikTok, and X to address such content and take action against individuals or organizations violating the law.

The Commission will also conduct a content analysis through an expert group to assess media coverage of election-related information, representation of political parties and candidates, portrayal of gender and geographic issues, and dissemination of voter education materials. The findings will be used to inform the Commission’s decision-making process.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission has approved a temporary voter list collection program covering government employees, security personnel stationed in barracks, detainees and prisoners, residents of government-run old-age homes, and office-bearers of constitutional bodies whose names are included in the final voter list.

The Election Code of Conduct 2025 has also been approved, expanding provisions related to social media use, introducing measures for green elections, and incorporating new topics such as party manifestos. The code prohibits the dissemination of false or misleading information, operation of fake accounts or websites, and publication of defamatory or personally insulting content. While political parties and candidates may promote their agendas through official or personal social media accounts, the Commission has urged them to do so in a dignified and systematic manner.

The code further prohibits the wearing or carrying of election-related symbols, logos, or clothing during campaign activities. Political parties, candidates, and their affiliated organizations have been urged to conduct rallies, meetings, and campaign events in a disciplined and civilized manner, using only approved party flags and symbols in permitted sizes and numbers.

In cases of code violations, the Commission has stated it will take action based on the nature and severity of the offense, ranging from public warnings and fines to legal penalties, including the cancellation of candidacies. Monitoring mechanisms will be active from the central to district levels to ensure compliance.

Furthermore, the Election Commission has published the maximum spending limits for candidates contesting under the first-past-the-post system and for political parties contesting under the proportional representation system. The commission has directed candidates to open a separate account at a bank or financial institution for election-related expenses and to conduct all spending through that account. Candidates are also required to designate a responsible person to incur expenses on their behalf and to inform the Election Officer’s Office and the relevant Provincial or District Election Office of the designated person’s details.

The commission has further directed that candidates must remain within the prescribed spending limits and submit detailed statements of election-related income and expenditure—either personally or through an authorised representative—to the concerned Provincial or District Election Office within 35 days of the declaration of election results. Political parties and candidates are also required to make public the details of income and expenditure incurred during election campaigning for the information of all concerned.

The maximum spending limit has been set at Rs 2.5m for five constituencies, Rs 2.7m for 17 constituencies, Rs 2.9m for 65 constituencies, Rs 3.1m for 52 constituencies, and Rs 3.3m for 26 constituencies.

Emphasizing that credible elections require strict adherence to the code of conduct, the Commission has called for collective commitment from political parties, candidates, media, and stakeholders to ensure a clean, free, impartial, fear-free, and economical election, contributing to democratic strengthening and good governance in the country.