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Kathmandu, Feb 2: The Nepali Army will begin field patrols from Wednesday, February 4,  as part of security preparations for the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5.

According to the integrated election security plan for 2082, the army will be deployed nationwide starting February 4. Army Spokesperson Rajaram Basnet said all preparations have been completed and troops will move into the field in line with the pre-election security strategy.

A total of 79,727 army personnel will be mobilised across the country. They will conduct patrols as required, with joint patrols arranged in sensitive areas and around polling centres based on local conditions. Basnet said the army will operate in the third security ring, coordinating closely with election officials, Nepal Police, and the Armed Police Force.

The deployment follows approval granted by President Ram Chandra Paudel on December 26, on the recommendation of the Cabinet. After receiving approval, the army prepared the integrated election security plan and carried out joint training and drills accordingly.

The plan was drafted by a task force formed by the Central Security Committee on October 26 under the coordination of a Home Ministry joint secretary. The task force submitted its report on November 16, which was later endorsed by the Central Security Committee, chaired by Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal. Security operations, including troop deployment, have now moved into action based on this plan.

During the election period, the army will also conduct aerial patrols, focusing on remote and highly sensitive areas. Helicopters will be kept on standby at five locations. The same aircraft will be used during and after the election to transport ballot boxes where needed.

Basnet said security has been arranged in three phases: before the election, on polling day, and after voting. Aerial patrols and helicopter support will be part of all three phases, including for the safe movement of ballot boxes.

As Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force are being deployed in large numbers for polling-related duties, the army has been assigned responsibility for guarding key installations. These include airports, prisons, Singha Durbar, and other sensitive state institutions. Tribhuvan International Airport and other airports across the country will also remain under army security during the election period, continuing a practice followed in past elections.

More than 338,000 security personnel will be mobilised overall for the election. Of them, 79,727 are from the Nepali Army. Nepal Police will deploy 75,597 personnel, according to police spokesperson DIG Abinarayan Kafle. In addition, 130,980 temporary election police will be mobilized under police command, and their training has already begun.

People’s News Monitoring Service