Nepal's electoral laws have not been designed to accommodate the migration trend, resulting in millions of Nepalis being disenfranchised. A total of 17.9 million votes, or 61.5 percent, were cast in the 2079 election. But why were 11.2 million votes not cast? This question should probably have been asked after the 2079 vote count. And the 2078 National Census itself would have provided a partial answer to this question.

This issue is fundamentally linked to the facility of inter-district voting. Although this type of voting is considered complicated and difficult to implement, it can be done this time with a little effort. The political consensus, technical preparation and implementation steps required for this can be carried out by aligning it with the work schedule currently being carried out by the Commission.

In a situation where millions of citizens are being deprived of their voting rights due to migration, there is no technical complication left to delay inter-district voting. All that remains is political will.

Migration trend

According to the report on Nepal's internal migration published by the National Statistics Department, more than 8.2 million Nepalis have migrated to another district. That is, 29.2 percent of the total population does not reside in their permanent address.

The law does not cover the unprecedented changes seen in the population structure after the ten-year conflict, the restructuring of the political system and the 2072 earthquake. According to the department's report, 18 districts have lost 20 percent of their native-born population, and there is no district that has not experienced migration. The trend of this migration is urban-centric. Migration from rural areas to urban areas is 51.3 percent. 

Just as the population has shifted, our democratic structure has not been updated. The question is not just about migration, but about access to voting rights.

People are moving in search of new places of residence, especially for education, health, and employment. This search is not only a free will but also a compulsion. When someone does not get appropriate facilities in their permanent area, they are forced to migrate to achieve it. Such compulsion is also a situation that arises when people's representatives do not work for the greater good of the people. One of the important tools to change such a situation is 'vote'. Inter-district voting is necessary to ensure that 'vote'.

The group that has migrated, if not ensured its vote and access to the political structure there, becomes a victim in two ways. First, by being forced to leave home due to lack of services. Second, by not being able to participate in the political structure of their place. The solution to give Nepal and Nepalis a way out of this vicious cycle is inter-district elections. 

Election structure

Currently, no one concerned is denying inter-district elections or the right to vote for Nepalis living abroad. However, all dialogues get stuck on only three points - political consensus, action plan and time.

To reach a political consensus, the parties, the Election Commission and the interim government must hold a meeting focusing on inter-district and external elections. After discussion, a solution will be found. Unless the government leadership takes a firm initiative to implement it, the Commission will not prioritize it. Therefore, if the upcoming elections are to be made not only transparent, fair and fearless but also truly accessible, the Prime Minister must take the lead.

If a political party puts forward its proposal in opposition to this, the people will also have the right to be informed about it. At that time, the task of holding the party accountable will be the party members and the people. If an agreement is not reached, the reason must also be revealed, so that voters will have an additional basis to support the party and the party in the upcoming elections.

Inter-district elections: Time and action plan

The possibility of inter-district elections is not limited to theory alone. A comparison with the current work schedule of the Commission shows a clear and phased action plan.

First, data should be collected about the temporary polling places of voters. For this, details can be collected through the Commission's website. Arrangements can be made to verify such details technically through the National Identity Card or through any ward or district election commission. By doing this between 25th Mangsir and 5th Poush, verification of the voter list collected till 5th Mangsir is being done in parallel at each local level. If the voter list verified by the local level and received is compared with the temporary voter list and finally verified, the final voter list will be prepared by 20th Poush. Both permanent and temporary details should be made public when publishing the voter list.

Second, the printing of ballot papers begins. The printing of ballot papers for proportional representation is from 16 Poush to 10 Magh. No additional work is required for this. The printing of ballot papers for the first-time election will be from 11 Magh to 11 Falgun. Therefore, the work of determining the polling places and polling centers for inter-district direct elections and sending them for publication in the Nepal Gazette should be completed before 11 Magh.

According to the 2078 census, 57.2 percent of the population has migrated in Kathmandu, 50.2 percent in Bhaktapur, and 46.2 percent in Lalitpur, while the net migration rate in the other 16 districts appears to be positive. Based on this, it can be determined in which places to hold inter-district direct elections.

With each additional polling station and polling station, the necessary manpower (polling officer, assistant poll officer, assistant staff, volunteers, police, etc.) will also have to be managed and various materials such as ballot boxes, ballot papers, seals, ink will also have to be purchased.

Third, if legal provisions are made to allow vote counting to be done at the district election office near the polling station, this process will also be simplified. If the law is established that vote counting should be done at the district election office of the relevant area, it may take a few days for transportation, which may cause some delay in vote counting. For this, provisions can also be made to hold inter-district elections a few days in advance. 

In this way, the excuse of technical complexity seems weak. The real challenge lies in coordination and timely decision-making. Therefore, if someone says that there is not enough time to implement inter-district elections, that statement is wrong. Yes, of course, there is a lot of work left, but if there is political will and the bureaucracy is committed, it is not impossible.

Inter-district elections not only make voting accessible, but also make the use of current resources more effective. For example, if 3,500 voters are registered in Khotang according to permanent address, all arrangements are made based on 3,500. But when all voters do not come, all the resources estimated for that area are not fully utilized.

If the voter turnout in the 2079 elections was 61.5 percent, then looking at the same ratio, only 2,152 votes are cast there. In such a situation, if 500 voters from Khotang express their desire to vote from Kathmandu, resources can be managed for the 3,000 voters from Khotang and arrangements can be made for the remaining 500 in Kathmandu. Thus, the election expenditure will be more effective and the probability of voting will also increase.

Therefore, ensuring inter-district elections will be in the overall interest of Nepal economically and democratically. However, inter-district elections alone will not solve the entire problem. The voting rights of citizens outside Nepal are still incomplete. Therefore, the other dimension (external voting) is equally important. About 2.1 million Nepalis (7.4 percent of the total population) have emigrated. The rate of work migration from Nepal has increased by 102 percent between 2019 and 2023. Therefore, now is the time to create laws and electoral systems that reflect the changing demographic structure of our nation and make Nepal's overall democratic practice accessible and inclusive.