KATHMANDU, Feb 7: The Election Commission (EC) has barred candidates contesting the House of Representatives (HoR) election scheduled for March 5 from raising funds by specifying fixed donation amounts, allowing only voluntary contributions from well-wishers.
The EC has made it clear that while candidates may accept voluntary support, they cannot demand or solicit donations by stating how much they expect to receive. Moreover, all contributions must be routed through the banking system to ensure transparency.
“Candidates can receive voluntary contributions within the Election Code of Conduct, but no one is allowed to collect donations by fixing a specific amount,” said EC Assistant Spokesperson Kul Bahadur GC. “Even voluntary contributions must be received through bank accounts so that the process remains transparent.”
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The EC has also set spending limits for candidates, allowing expenses ranging from Rs 2.3 million to Rs 3.3 million. GC said candidates are free to receive voluntary contributions as long as their total spending remains within the prescribed ceiling.
On February 2, the EC approved a special voter education programme aimed at raising awareness about voting rights and extending ongoing digital awareness campaigns to the ward level. Under the programme, one volunteer will be mobilised in each ward across the country. Volunteers will be selected from among early childhood facilitators, maternal and child health workers, female community health volunteers, and community learning centre facilitators working at the local level.
Meanwhile, election preparations are in full swing. As of Friday, the EC had printed 1,098,200 sample ballot papers under both the proportional representation (PR) and first-past-the-post (FPTP) systems and dispatched them to various districts.
The EC has printed 20,830,000 ballot papers under the PR system, which are now ready for transportation following packaging and verification. Under the FPTP system, of the 20,323,000 ballot papers to be printed, 8,440,000 had been printed by Friday morning, with 7,134 already packaged.
Printing and packaging have been completed in 32 districts, including Dolpa, Mugu, Jumla, Kalikot, Humla, Jajarkot, Dailekh, Rukum (West), Salyan, Surkhet, Bajura, Achham, Bajhang, Doti, Dadeldhura, Darchula, Baitadi, Kailali, Kanchanpur, Panchthar, Ilam, Terhathum, Bhojpur, Okhaldhunga, Sunsari, Taplejung, Sankhuwasabha, Solukhumbu, Khotang, Dhankuta, Baglung and Gulmi.
Compared to 2022, the total number of voters in 2026 has increased by 915,119. The number of male voters has risen by 522,552, female voters by 392,552, and other voters by 15.
In the 2022 HoR and Provincial Assembly elections, there were 9,140,806 male voters, 8,847,579 female voters and 185 other voters, bringing the total to 17,988,570.
For the 2026 HoR election, the EC has designated 10,967 polling stations and 23,112 polling centres nationwide for voters listed in the final voter roll—75 more polling stations than in the 2022 elections.
