Security agencies say Nepal fully prepared for March 5 polls

Kathmandu: The security agencies in Nepal have said the country is fully prepared to ensure a free and peaceful House of Representatives election on March 5, with over 3 lakh personnel deployed nationwide, The Kathmandu Post reported on Wednesday.

As voting day approaches, the government has intensified daily high-level security briefings. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Sushila Karki and Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal convened a back-to-back meeting to review election preparedness and the overall law-and-order situation.

According to a notice issued by the Prime Minister's private secretariat, Karki received detailed briefings from the chiefs of all security agencies regarding election preparations and the national security environment.

Security agencies have identified around a dozen potential challenges, including clashes between supporters of political parties, communal and religious tensions, activities of monarchist factions, escaped prisoners from the September Gen Z protests, and election boycott campaigns by certain political groups.

"We have more or less zeroed in on the elements that can pose security challenges, but those who spread rumours on social media, whether inside or outside the country, remain the major source of challenges that needs to be tamed," a senior security official told the Kathmandu Post.

The official added that some communist factions and groups advocating restoration of the monarchy and a Hindu nation are under close surveillance. The activities of controversial monarchist Durga Prasain and certain pro-royalist and communist groups calling for an election boycott are also being closely monitored.

Ram Rawal, press adviser to the Prime Minister, said chiefs of all security agencies agreed that misinformation and disinformation on social media pose the most serious technical and security threat to the polls.

A comprehensive security review was conducted in the presence of senior officials, including Chief Secretary Suman Raj Aryal, Chief of Army Staff Ashok Raj Sigdel, Home Secretary Rajkumar Shrestha, Inspector General of Nepal Police Dan Bahadur Karki, Inspector General of Armed Police Force Raju Aryal, and Chief of the National Investigation Department Tekendra Karki.

"The prime minister discussed what could be the worst-case scenario and what could be the best-case scenario regarding the security situation. All four heads of the security agencies assured the prime minister that for the first time in Nepal's election history, such a huge security deployment has been made," Rawal told the newspaper.

More than 3 lakh personnel have already been deployed across the country, with additional forces on standby for emergencies. The Nepali Army and Nepali Police have also established dedicated IT cells to counter misinformation, disinformation, deep fakes, and other manipulated content on social media.

Following the meeting at Baluwatar, Prime Minister Karki said the security situation surrounding the elections has so far remained satisfactory. In a post on Facebook, she stated that all mechanisms had been mobilised with vigilance, strict monitoring, and effective coordination.

"There is no room for doubt regarding the security arrangements. Taking potential challenges and risks into account, all mechanisms have been mobilised with necessary vigilance, strict monitoring, and effective coordination," she said, urging citizens to vote confidently and without fear.

Earlier the same day, a high-level security committee meeting at the Election Commission concluded that there were no major threats that could disrupt the polls. Election Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said security agencies had described the peace and security situation as robust and conducive for all political parties to carry out their activities peacefully.

Officials also noted that isolated incidents of confrontation should not be viewed as national-level problems and said local administrations had acted proactively to prevent escalation.

According to The Kathmandu Post, security agencies maintained that the overall environment across the country was turning increasingly favourable for the March 5 elections.