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Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal has said that all weapons looted and those that went missing during the September 8–9 Gen Z movement will be retrieved, as well as prisoners who escaped during the same period will be detained before March 5, 2026, the announced date for elections to the House of Representatives (HoR).

Addressing today a Koshi Province-level security committee meeting jointly organized by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Koshi Province Ministry for Internal Affairs and Law, the Minister said that most of the absconding prisoners are already in contact with authorities, while the remaining will be brought under control soon through a special security campaign.

He said the government is seriously addressing the election-related security concerns raised by political parties, particularly regarding looted weapons and fugitives, adding that the security meeting is part of broader efforts to ensure the elections are held in a free, fair, and peaceful environment.

The Home Minister further stated that mechanisms have been developed to ensure the active involvement of provincial security agencies before, during, and after the election.

“Elections are a fundamental practice of democracy,” he said, adding that they empower citizens, mainstream their strength and legitimize governance. “Good governance cannot be established without elections. If we aspire to good governance, there is no alternative to elections.”

He added that the incumbent government, formed with a mandate to conduct elections and hand over the leadership to an elected government, is fully focused on holding the polls on the announced date in a neutral and impartial atmosphere.

On the occasion, Koshi Province Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki urged the non-party government to ensure a neutral conduct of the elections, adding that the election environment has yet to be fully established and must be guaranteed within the remaining two months.

He also called on the federal government to equip security forces with the necessary resources in view of the upcoming elections.

Senior officers of the Nepal Army, the chiefs of Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force, the chief investigation director of the National Investigation Department, and security chiefs from all 14 districts of Koshi Province attended the meeting.

Foreign Minister Bala Nanda Sharma left for Dhaka, Bangladesh, last night to attend the state funeral of former Prime Minister and Chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Begum Khaleda Zia.

Sharma is paying his last respects on behalf of the government and the people of Nepal.

The Foreign Minister’s visit reflects Nepal’s deep respect for the late leader’s contributions to strengthening Nepal–Bangladesh relations during her three tenures as Prime Minister, said Foreign Ministry in a statement, adding that Minister Sharma would be accompanied by senior officials of the Foreign Ministry.

The Minister is scheduled to return home on January 1. 

A total of 64 political parties have submitted closed lists for the proportional representation election to the House of Representatives (HoR) scheduled for March 5.

Of the total, 54 submitted the closed lists with their own election symbols while 10 others in four common symbols, according to the Election Commission.

The Constitution of Nepal has the provision that 165 members of the HoR are elected under first past the post (direct election) and 110 under proportional representation.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission has made public the list of documents required for the National Assembly election scheduled for January 25.

Gandaki Province has a total of 1. 87  million voters for the elections to the House of Representatives scheduled for March 5. 

According to Province Election Office, Pokhara, the highest voters are in Kaski district which is 308,572.  Similarly, Manang has recorded the lowest number of voters standing at 7,000.

There are 248,819 voters in Syangja, 254,397 voters in Tanahu, 268,526 voters in Nawalpur, 229,058 in Gorkha and 193,181 in Baglung.

Likewise, Lamjung has 137,124 voters while 125,466 voters in Parbat, 86,397 voters in Myagdi and 11,338 voters in Mustang, shared Information Officer Rudra Prasad Neupane. 

Of the total voters in Gandaki Province, 914,535 are men, 955,516 are women and 14 are others. Gandaki province has 1,297 voting centres and 2,396 polling stations. 

The Election Commission had collected the voters' name lists from September 26-November 21 targeting the upcoming elections to the House of Representatives scheduled for March 5. 

There were 1. 66 million  in Gandaki Province in the HoR election held in 2079 BS.