Acting Early on Election Security

With the House of Representatives election set for March 5 drawing near, the government has moved early to tighten security across the country. A Central Security Command Post has now been set up under the Home Secretary following a National Security Council decision. As per the decision, senior officials from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and the National Investigation Department will sit together to steer election security from a single command centre. At the Home Ministry, a Central Joint Election Cell has also begun work to ensure daily coordination and real-time information sharing. This setup follows the rollout of an integrated security plan that all four agencies and district administrations have already put into action. Similar command posts and election cells are active in all seven provinces, led by chief secretaries, with district-level mechanisms operating under chief district officers. On the ground, Nepal Police are responsible for general security, the army will guard ballot boxes, and the Armed Police Force will cover all constituencies through a second security ring. Mobile teams, quick response units and reserve forces are on standby. Security bases are being set up well ahead of polling day, with full deployment planned for the final two weeks.