Kaski District Finalizes Preparations for Upcoming Elections, Deploys Thousands of Personnel

Pokhara. Preparations for the upcoming elections in Kaski district have reached the final stage. The Provincial Election Office in Kaski stated that work related to managing necessary staff, security personnel, materials, and voter education for orderly elections in all three constituencies of Kaski is being intensified. A total of 3,300 personnel will be deployed in Kaski to conduct the elections, comprising 2,200 employees and 1,100 volunteers.

According to Narayan Dhakal, Chief of the Provincial Election Office, a team of 9 people, consisting of 6 staff members and 3 volunteers, will be assigned to each polling station. "We have prioritized office assistants and experienced individuals who have worked at the local level as volunteers," he said, adding, "Staff members have also been managed accordingly." They will be appointed for a 5-day period. Starting from Falgun 17, they will reach their respective polling stations to carry out tasks such as booth construction and all-party meetings.

In Kaski, 153 polling stations and 363 voting centers have been designated. Based on the analysis conducted by the District Administration Office and security agencies, the polling stations have been classified into three tiers. Among them, 56 are categorized as highly sensitive, and 54 are considered sensitive. The remaining 43 polling stations are deemed normal, the administration stated. Dhakal mentioned that preparations based on security sensitivity have been completed after conducting on-site monitoring of all polling stations.

For security, 860 Nepal Police personnel and 1,199 temporary police (Madi) will be mobilized in the district. Twelve mobile patrol teams and 2 Quick Reaction Teams (QRT) will be kept on standby for emergency situations. Dhakal informed that security monitoring has been completed for about 90 percent of the polling stations. The Chomrong polling station in Kaski's Constituency No. 3 has been designated as the most geographically remote. This polling station, which lacks road access, can be reached by walking for 4 hours from Ghandruk. It is anticipated that there might be some challenges in information exchange as 11 polling stations in the district do not have internet service.

52 Types of Election Materials Have Arrived

Chief Dhakal stated that 52 out of the 53 types of materials required for the election have arrived in the district. "Due to security sensitivity, the Election Commission will send the ballot papers at the last moment; all other materials have arrived and are being packed," he said. The office has initiated a voter education program in all 72 wards of the district to minimize invalid votes.

During this campaign, which runs from Falgun 3 to 17, 72 volunteers have been deployed, one in each ward across the 5 municipalities. They are visiting door-to-door and in localities to teach the targeted groups how to cast their votes. Furthermore, monitoring coordinators have been appointed in every municipality, and a separate committee has been formed in the district to monitor these monitors.

Two temporary voting centers have been designated in Kaski for employees, security personnel, and prisoners. A temporary voting center has been set up at the District Coordination Committee office for employees and security personnel, and at the Kaski District Jail for prisoners. It is estimated that there are about 2,900 temporary voters in Kaski. Arrangements have been made for them to vote only under the proportional representation system.