Kathmandu, February 16 Political parties in Nepal officially began campaigning for the March 5 general elections on Monday.
With restrictions imposed by the Election Commission (EC) on the launch of the election campaign ending on Sunday night, candidates started door-to-door visits, public meetings, and rallies.
The EC designated February 16 to March 2 as days for formal campaign activities, including public meetings, rallies, processions, corner meetings, and the use of loudspeakers.
All types of campaigning must cease from midnight on March 2, 48 hours before the general election.
There are a total of 18,903,689 eligible voters for the election, including 915,119 newly registered ones, compared to the last parliamentary election in 2022.
The Lower House of Parliament has 275 lawmakers, of which 165 are elected through the first past the post (FPTP) system or direct voting, while 110 are elected through proportional representation.
While there are around 3,400 candidates under the direct voting system, 3,200 are under the proportional system seeking to get elected during the upcoming general election.
Out of a total of 20,323,000 ballot papers required for the FPTP system, nearly all have already been printed. Similarly, 20,830,000 ballot papers for the proportional representation (PR) system have been completed.
The EC is fully engaged in preparations for conducting the election through around 10,500 polling stations and 23,112 polling booths.
According to the EC, over 213,000 staff and more than 330,000 security personnel will be involved in the smooth conduct of the general elections on March 5.
Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, spokesperson at the EC, said that three tiers of election security are being arranged under the coordination of the Nepal Army to conduct the election in a free and fearless manner.