Voter registration drive in Nepal adds over 1L new voters ahead of March polls

Birgunj [Nepal], November 7 (ANI): Nepal has seen an enthusiastically high number of new voters with more than 1,30,000 new voters enrolled in the poll roll update within the last 42 days.

In the southern plains of the Himalayan nation, the voter registration drive has brought thousands of enthusiastic new voters to queue up outside the District Election Commission office to get their names updated in the poll roll.

"I am excited about casting my vote in the election. My vote can drive the development, roads, and other infrastructures will be built, it will bring the change in our lifestyle as well," Anil Mahato, a youth from Birgunj, told ANI as he stood in line for the voter roll update.

"It will be the first time that I will be exercising my voting right. I am quite excited about being able to experience the first vote that I will be casting. This will also make me updated about the politics and get to know the candidates and people around," Ankita Gupta, another youth from the strategically important economic town of the Himalayan nation, told ANI as she also stood in line for her turn to get herself enrolled in the voter list.

The two-day Gen Z movement on September 8 and 9 unseated the KP Sharma Oli government, where at least 72 people were killed as the government tried to suppress the protestors.

After three days of deliberations, former Chief Justice Sushila Karki was appointed the interim Prime Minister of the nation, who had recommended dissolving the parliament.

Upon Karki's recommendation, President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved the House of Representatives on September 12 and announced fresh polls for March 5, 2026.

Starting September 26, the Election Commission resumed voter registration after Paudel issued an ordinance clearing legal hurdles to open the voter roll. As per the ordinance, any Nepali citizen who turns 18 by March 4, 2026, can register. The commission has set November 16 as a deadline to update the list.

"The voter enrollment process is being carried out. People are participating enthusiastically to get their names up in the poll roll list. The number has gone quite high; on average, we are enrolling 350-450 names on a daily basis. We have been enrolling the names from 8 am in the morning to 6 pm in the evening on work days through two stations within this office," Arun Kumar Thakur, information officer at the District Election Office, Parsa, told ANI.

As per the Election Commission of Nepal, 18,148,654 voters have been listed as of Chaitra-end (mid-April)--the previous Nepali year 2081. As many as 17,988,570 voters-9,140,806 men, 8,847,579 women, and 185 from other categories- were eligible to cast their ballots in November 2022. By April 2025, in two and a half years, the number increased by 160,054 to 18,148,654.

A total of 136,060 (male 81,864, female 54,178 and others 18) new voters have been added to the electoral roll, as per the Election Commission.

The number of new registrations has been rising steadily, with 11,197 voters added on Thursday alone, the highest single-day addition since the registration campaign began on September 25.

The registration rate has significantly increased since mid-October, when the total stood at less than half of the current figure. The highest numbers of new registrations have been reported from Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Parsa districts.

The surge in registrations can be attributed to widespread awareness campaigns organized by the EC and various civic groups, including the Gen Z-led groups, which have been urging young citizens to register their names in the voter list.

It was projected that 18,168,230 citizens would have reached voting age by November 2, 2025. As of mid-April, 18,148,654 voters had already been registered, an increase of roughly 160,000 compared to the 2022 general elections.

With about three months left, the registration of political parties has also peaked in Nepal. As per the electoral body of the Himalayan nation, 125 political parties have already been registered, with the number expected to increase.

In the 275-strong lower house, 165 members are elected through first-past-the-post (FPTP), while the remaining 110 are elected under proportional representation based on each party's vote shares.

As per the commission's schedule, parties willing to contest next year's polls should register separately. They will have 10 days to do so, starting November 17. Parties contesting the polls will have to submit their closed lists of candidates for the proportional representation system on January 2 and 3, 2026.

The commission has decided to give two weeks starting February 15 for election publicity campaigns. There will be two days of electoral silence before voting commences at 7 am on March 5. Voting will continue until 7 pm that evening. (ANI)

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