Kathmandu, October 27
The Election Commission has removed 203,586 names from Nepal’s voter register during an update, including those of deceased voters and people whose entries were duplicated, cancelled or removed following renunciation of citizenship.
Of the total names removed, 45,322 belonged to deceased voters, while the remaining 158,264 were removed for reasons related to duplicate entries, cancellations or renunciation of citizenship, according to the commission.
The update covers districts including Jhapa, Morang, Saptari and Kailali, which recorded relatively high numbers of deletions.
In Morang, the commission removed 610 names of deceased voters and 9,521 names under the categories of duplicate entries, cancellations or renunciation of citizenship. In Jhapa, 834 names were removed because of deaths and another 6,188 for the other reasons.
Sunsari recorded 798 deletions due to deaths and 4,762 under the other categories.
Saptari had 6,301 names removed following voters’ deaths, while another 4,087 were deleted for reasons related to duplication, cancellation or renunciation of citizenship.
In Dhanusha, 369 names were removed due to deaths and 4,448 for the other reasons. Rautahat recorded 2,514 deletions due to deaths and 4,151 under the other categories.
In Palpa, 3,044 names were removed following deaths and 1,685 for the other reasons. Rupandehi recorded 181 deletions due to deaths and 4,361 under the other categories.
In Kailali, the commission removed 1,039 names because of deaths and another 6,525 for reasons related to duplication, cancellation or renunciation of citizenship.
The total number of registered voters stood at 18,903,689 during the House of Representatives election held on February 21, 2026. The latest deletions were made as part of the commission’s ongoing voter-list update.
At the same time, 187,686 new voters who had reached the age of 18 by September 1 and registered their names have been added to the list, according to the commission.
Voter-list update underway ahead of local elections
Election Commission Joint Secretary and Spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said the commission was updating the voter register as part of preparations for upcoming local and provincial assembly elections.
“Election-related work takes place in three phases — before the election, during the election and after the election. We are currently carrying out election preparation work,” Bhattarai said.
He said updating the voter list was part of the pre-election preparations.
The commission is also preparing to require voters to update their National Identity Card details and mobile phone numbers before the next local elections.
National Identity Card numbers have been included in the records of voters who registered more recently, but the details are missing from the records of many people who registered earlier.
The commission has already decided to incorporate National Identity Card details into the voter register and is preparing to sign a memorandum of understanding with the relevant authorities to facilitate the process.
