Nomination papers are being registered on Sunday for the local by-elections to be held on November 16. Nita Pokharel Aryal, spokesperson of the Commission, informed that nominations of candidates will be registered at the office of the election officer established at the relevant local level from 10 am to 5 pm.

The list of candidates is scheduled to be published on Sunday from 5 to 6 pm. The commission said that all the preparations for the nomination registration of the candidates have been completed.

38 offices of election officers have been established on Friday for the by-elections. According to the commission, 32 chief election officers' offices and six election officers' offices have been established at the local level where by-elections are held.

Aryal, the spokesperson of the commission, informed that the election officer's office has been established at the center of the relevant local level and ward where by-elections will be held.

Complaints against the candidates will be filed on November 3rd from 10 am to 3 pm, and after 3 pm on the same day, nomination papers and complaints will be examined and decided, and the list of candidates will be published from 5 to 6 pm on November 4th. 

Candidates can withdraw their names from 9 am to 1 pm on November 5th. On the same day, the final list will be published from 1 to 3 pm and the candidates will be awarded election symbols from 3 to 5 pm. Voting will be held on November 16 from 7 am to 5 pm.

There are 44 vacant positions at the local level, including two heads of district coordination committee, two village presidents, four vice presidents, one municipality head and one deputy head, and 34 ward presidents at the local level.

According to the Election Commission, District Coordination Committee Chief of Okhaldhunga and Kailali, Chief of Kirtipur Municipality of Kathmandu, Deputy Chief of Nalgad Municipality of Jajarkot, Chairman of Gramthan Rural Municipality of Morang and Mahabu Rural Municipality of Dailekh and Gourishankar Rural Municipality of Dolakha, Putha Uttarganga Rural Municipality of Rukum East, Sarkegad Rural Municipality of Humla and Swamikartik Khapar of Bajura. There will be an election for the post of vice president of the rural municipality. 

Taplejung's Sirijunga Rural Municipality-3, Jhapa's Kankai Municipality Ward No. 6, Tehrathum's Laliguras Municipality Ward No. 8, Sunsari's Gadhi Village Village Ward No. 6, Okhaldhunga's Molung Ward No. 5, Udaipur's Triyuga Municipality Ward No. 12 and Belka Municipality Ward No. 9, Dakneshwari Municipality Ward No. 1 and 4 of Saptari, Dhanushadham Municipality of Dhanusha Ward No. 1, Ward No. 2 of Ramgopalpur Municipality of Mahottari, Ward No. 7 of Ishanath Municipality of Rautahat, Ward No. 6 of Rajpur Municipality and Ward No. 8 of Gadhimai Municipality will be elected. 

Kirtipur Municipality Ward No. 1 and 4 of Kathmandu, Kathmandu Metropolitan City Ward No. 16, Kakani Rural Municipality Ward No. 2 of Nuwakot, Hetauda Municipality Ward No. 12 of Makwanpur, Gorkha Municipality Ward No. 5 of Gorkha, Musikot Municipality Ward No. 1 of Gulmi, Runtigadhi Ward Rural Municipality of Rolpa No. 4, Thakurbaba Municipality Ward No. 4, Rukum (East) Putha of Bardia Suman Ghimire, Information Officer of the Commission, informed that the election will be held for the post of Ward President of Uttarganga Rural Municipality Ward No. 2 and Kapilvastu Suddhodhan Rural Municipality Ward No. 1.  

Dailekh's Dullu Municipality Ward No. 13, Kalikot's Tilagufa Municipality Ward No. 4, Jajarkot Kushe Rural Municipality Ward No. 7, Dolpa's Tripurasundari Municipality Ward No. 5, Rukum (West) Saniveri Rural Municipality Ward No. 5, Bajhang's Surma Rural Municipality Ward No. 4, Doti's East Chowki Rural Municipality Ward No. 6, Duhun Rural Municipality Ward No. 5 of Darchula and Bhimdatta Municipality Ward of Kanchanpur. Election will be held for the post of Ward President of No. 6.

  In the Local Level Elections Act, 2073, the term of office of District Coordination Committee Head, Deputy Head, Rural Village Chairman, Vice Chairman, Municipal Chief, Deputy Chief and Ward Chairman has not expired and their position is vacant for any reason and in the event that the remaining term of office is more than one year, for the remainder of the term. There is a provision to fill the post by by-election.  

  Female candidates at the local level held by men

The commission elected female candidates for the positions of chairperson or vice chairperson of the village council, head or deputy head of the municipality and head or deputy head of the district coordination committee in the local elections held in 2079. Political parties have been instructed to submit nomination papers to remain candidates.

 According to the commission's instructions, only women's candidatures will be registered for the posts of District Coordination Committee Kailali, Nalgad Municipality Deputy Head of Jajarkot, Gauri Shankar of Dolakha, Sarkegad of Humla, Swamikartik Khapar of Bajura and Puthauttarganga Rural Municipality of Rukum East. 

The commission has instructed the political parties and the election officer's office to comply with the provisions regarding the qualifications and disqualifications of the candidates nominated in the upcoming local level by-elections. The Commission has instructed to register the nomination of only candidates who have completed 21 years of age, whose name is included in the voter list of the respective ward of the rural municipality or municipality where the by-election is to be held, and who are not disqualified by any law.

 The Commission has disqualified persons, non-Nepali citizens or persons who are not citizens of Nepal and persons who are disqualified according to Section 12 of the Local Elections Act, 2073 and the government of Nepal, state government and institutions owned or controlled by the state government or receiving grants from the government of Nepal. The election officer's office has been instructed not to nominate a candidate for the local level by-election to the incumbent.

Similarly, the Commission has said that a person who is owned or controlled by a local level or a local level or is employed in an organization that receives a subsidy from the local level, and a person who has been punished according to the prevailing laws related to elections and has not paid for two years from the date of serving such punishment, will not be eligible to be a candidate. 

Corruption, extortion, human trafficking and trafficking, drug sales, distribution and export or importation, money laundering, passport misuse, kidnapping-related offenses or other acts of moral turpitude  The nomination of a person who has been convicted of a criminal offense or sentenced to life imprisonment or twenty years or more of imprisonment for any offense whose judgment is final will not be registered. 

A person who has been sentenced to imprisonment for an offense related to organized crime or has been sentenced to imprisonment of less than twenty years for an offense related to duty of care, a person who has not completed six years from the date of serving such sentence, has been sentenced to imprisonment for an offense related to caste discrimination and untouchability, witchcraft or polygamy and has completed three years from the date of serving such sentence There is a provision that even a person who is not a candidate cannot become a candidate. 

According to the law, the nomination of a person who is blacklisted according to the law will not be registered during the period of blacklisting, the person who is imprisoned for any crime, the person who is not mentally balanced and who is disqualified according to the prevailing law will not be registered. According to the Commission, in the case of district coordination committee by-elections, officials who are suspended according to the prevailing law cannot be candidates for the said period.