Over 200,000 personnel to be deployed for February 21 election; Rs 5,300 daily allowance, Rs 2 mln insurance

KATHMANDU: The Election Commission (EC) has announced plans to deploy more than 200,000 personnel for the House of Representatives election scheduled for February 21, underscoring the scale of administrative and security arrangements for the nationwide polls.

According to the Commission, a total of 213,000 government employees will be mobilized across 23,112 polling centers throughout the country. Election Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said preparations are underway to deploy employees from various levels of government institutions during the election period. Where required, teachers from local community schools will also be mobilized to manage polling stations.

This year, the Commission has increased both polling locations and polling centers nationwide. Bhattarai said 75 new polling locations and 855 polling centers have been added after merging and scrapping some older ones to better manage voter flow. Polling centers with more than 500 voters will have nine election staff, while those with fewer than 500 voters will be managed by eight staff members.

Old Ballot Boxes to Be Reused

The Election Commission has decided not to purchase new ballot boxes for this election. Instead, previously used ballot boxes will be reused.

“A total of 75,000 ballot boxes are required nationwide, and we have decided to use existing ballot boxes,” Bhattarai said, adding that the stock is sufficient and does not require fresh procurement.

A total of 53 types of materials will be used at polling centers. Of these, 15 sensitive materials will be centrally managed by the Election Commission, while the remaining 38 items will be procured by provincial and district election offices and delivered to polling centers.

Bhattarai said that ballot boxes and ballot paper printing paper are already available in adequate quantities. Items such as punching machines, sealing wax, ink, stamps, pads, and swastika seals will be procured by district election offices.

The Commission has also assured proper logistics management in remote districts, with locally procured materials being transported to polling centers within the respective districts.

Allowances, Facilities, and Insurance for Election Staff

Election personnel will receive various allowances and facilities as per the House of Representatives Election Operation (Financial Management) Procedure, 2082 BS. The procedure covers election commissioners, government employees, security personnel, and members of election security committees.

Under the provisions, election commissioners will receive a monthly election allowance equal to 100 percent of their basic salary, a daily meal allowance of Rs 300, Rs 500 per day for food expenses on public holidays, and a communication allowance of Rs 2,500.

Similar facilities have been fixed for staff working at the Election Commission Secretariat, provincial and district election offices, and those deployed on assignment. Communication allowances have been set at Rs 2,000 for secretaries, Rs 1,500 for joint secretaries, Rs 1,000 for under-secretaries, and Rs 500 for section officers.

Daily allowances for staff deployed at polling centers and mobile security monitoring teams have also been fixed. Polling officers will receive Rs 2,500 per day, assistant polling officers Rs 2,000, assistant staff Rs 1,600, support staff Rs 1,200, and volunteers Rs 1,200. For senior-level staff, the total daily facility—including allowance, communication, and meal expenses—will amount to Rs 5,300.

The Commission has also arranged insurance coverage of Rs 2 million per person for all employees deployed in the election.

Rs 19.21 Billion Budget Secured for Election Management and Security

The government has secured a total budget of Rs 19.21 billion for election management and security. According to Ministry of Finance spokesperson Tank Prasad Pandey, the budget allocation includes Rs 10.39 billion for the Ministry of Home Affairs, Rs 1.99 billion for the Ministry of Defence, and Rs 6.72 billion for the Election Commission.

More Than 210,000 Security Personnel to Be Deployed

More than 210,000 security personnel will be deployed to ensure election security. This includes 77,039 Nepal Police personnel and 133,980 election police (temporary police).

Nepal Police Central Spokesperson DIG Abin Narayan Kafle said security will be provided through fixed deployment, patrols, pickets, and mobile teams. Police will conduct both long- and short-range patrols, including deployments in plain clothes, throughout the election period.

Polling centers have been classified as normal, sensitive, and highly sensitive. According to police data, there are 2,845 normal polling centers, 4,442 sensitive centers, and 3,680 highly sensitive centers nationwide.

Normal polling centers will have three Nepal Police personnel and five election police. Sensitive centers will have three Nepal Police personnel and six election police, while highly sensitive centers will have up to 10 election police. In some locations, a single polling center may have up to three Nepal Police personnel and 18 election police.

Police said more security personnel will be deployed in sensitive areas, particularly in the Tarai districts, based on voter density and past election-related incidents.

Vehicles to Be Rented Due to Shortage

Nepal Police have also acknowledged a shortage of vehicles for election security. Kafle said police require 2,176 small vehicles but currently face a shortage of 1,482. Similarly, of the 174 large vehicles required, 132 are lacking. The police also require 3,045 motorcycles, with a shortfall of 417 units.

In case of shortages, vehicles will be rented for election security purposes. The Election Commission has also requested additional vehicles from the government to support election operations.