The government is mobilizing about 337,000 security personnel for the upcoming House of Representatives elections. This includes the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and the National Investigation Department, as well as about 150,000 'election police' (formerly temporary police) for a 40-day period.

As per the decision passed by the Central Security Committee meeting, a security management framework has been prepared to mobilize 188,363 personnel from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and National Investigation Department for election security, with their respective responsibilities and jurisdictions.

Due to the shortage of manpower from regular security personnel, the government is selecting and mobilizing 133,980 personnel through the Nepal Police and 15,110 personnel through the Armed Police Force as 'Election Police' within a period of 40 days. As part of the same preparation, the Nepal Police on Thursday opened the application for recruitment of election police to be mobilized under it, while the Armed Forces are also preparing to invite applications within a few days.

By what process do the police and the Armed Forces recruit election police for election security? What are the selection criteria? How are they mobilized? What facilities do they receive? An attempt has been made to explain in five questions and answers.

Why is election police recruitment necessary?

Elections for 275 members of the House of Representatives are being held on 21 Falgun 2082. In which 110 members of the House of Representatives will be elected through proportional representation and 165 members of the House of Representatives will be elected through direct representation. The Election Commission is preparing to hold the elections in a single phase. For which, it is necessary to make election security management agile, effective and systematic.

The Commission has determined 10,967 polling stations and 23,112 polling stations across the country to conduct the elections. The polling stations have also been classified into three groups based on the security risks, challenges and past activities of the place: highly sensitive, sensitive and normal. In the past, the security management of polling stations was done by the police and temporary police and the external security management was done by the army and the armed police.

This time too, although the security deployment pattern will be the same, the government is preparing to increase the roles, responsibilities and number of manpower. It is sufficient to manage security regularly at polling stations with general security challenges. However, the presence and deployment of security agencies at polling stations considered sensitive and highly sensitive should be increased. According to the current staffing, there are about 100,000 personnel in the army, about 80,000 in the police, and about 37,000 in the armed forces.

In addition to the regular security management, the army has prepared a security management plan to deploy 79,727, 71,620 police, and 35,116 personnel as 'committed personnel' for the election. Thus, 188,000 more personnel are being deployed as regular security personnel in the election.

On the one hand, regular patrols, office security, security of prominent individuals, crime prevention and investigation, etc. should be regularly deployed in the election, while under election-focused security management, security from candidate security to publicity, public meetings, etc. should also be provided. However, this manpower alone is insufficient in election security management. That is why 150,000 election police are being recruited to be deployed as a 'supporting security force' of the Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force. Out of the recruits, the personnel deployed through the police will have to remain in the chain of command of the police and those deployed under the armed forces will have to remain in the chain of command of the armed forces.

Where can I apply? Which age group can apply?

133,980 election police officers are being recruited for the police and 15,110 for the armed forces. For that, the Nepal Police has opened the application for the election police recruitment of a total of 40 days, with a 30-day working period and 10 days of training on Thursday. The armed forces are preparing to open the application within a few days.

The Nepal Police has made arrangements to allow applications from Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur District Police Complexes and District Police Offices outside the valley from Friday (25 Poush) to 1 Magh, while the armed forces are making arrangements to allow applications from battalions/combat units and designated locations in all 77 districts.

A recruitment selection committee has been formed in the respective districts under the coordination of the Chief District Officer for the recruitment of election police. Candidates should have completed 18 years of age and not exceeded 54 years of age by the last date for applying for recruitment. According to which, the maximum age should be born in 2028 Magh and the minimum age should be born in 2064 Magh (completed 18 and not exceeded 54 years as per the last date for application).

What are the eligibility criteria for applying? Who is given priority in recruitment?

Must be a Nepali citizen as per the criteria approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The qualifications for the recruitment of candidates are: being able to read and write, not having been convicted of any criminal offenses that show moral turpitude, not having membership in any political party at the time of recruitment, being physically and mentally healthy, not being a member of any terrorist or subversive organization, being at least 5 feet tall, having a chest width of 31 to 33 inches, weighing 50 kg for men, and being at least 4 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 42 kg for women, and not being pregnant. These qualifications are the provisions set for the recruitment of police and armed forces personnel.

Among those who have applied for recruitment in the Election Police, priority will be given to those who have retired and gratuity from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, former forest guards, army/police personnel who have applied for various posts from 2081 Magh to mid-2082 Poush and passed the physical fitness and health test, who have worked satisfactorily as temporary police officers in the past in the House of Representatives, Provincial Assembly and local level elections (as per the temporary police certificate), and Nepali citizens who have retired from service after working in security agencies of foreign countries. These human resources have been given priority in recruitment in the Election Police as they have basic knowledge in security management and have completed the prescribed training.

How many days should they work?

Like in the past, this time too the government is going to manage the Election Police human resources by prescribing a period of 10 days of training and 30 days of field deployment. Apart from this, it is mentioned that it will be ‘as prescribed by the Government of Nepal’. Sometimes, if the election cannot be held on the scheduled date, if the work period is longer than the specified period, or if there are other reasons, the work period may be extended. Looking at the current permissible period, it is being managed in such a way that there will be a field period of 1 month from 21 Mangsir and 10 days of training period.

What facilities do election police officers receive?

The provision that election police officers recruited by specifying the work period will be given the basic salary and clothing and ration allowance of the same as those received by police/armed police personnel is mentioned in the ‘Integrated (Police and Armed Police Force Nepal) Procedures on Election Police Recruitment, Selection, Appointment and Mobilization-2082’.

According to which, an election policeman will be provided with a salary of 34 thousand rupees for 40 days at a rate of 869 rupees per day and 40 paisa per day, a ration allowance for 40 days as determined by the District Rate Determination Committee (varies according to the district), a one-time allowance of 846 rupees per person (transportation allowance) to go and return to the place assigned for the election, a lump sum of 1200 rupees for lunch expenses at the rate of 300 rupees per day for four days, and a one-time clothing allowance as determined by the police and the armed forces in that district according to the weather in the district.