KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 26 With the March 5 House of Representatives (HoR) elections drawing near, 359 polling stations in Karnali Province have been classified as 'highly sensitive' from a security standpoint, authorities said on Wednesday. According to Jayaraj Sapkota, Deputy Inspector General of Police and chief of the Karnali Province Police Office in Surkhet, 359 out of 959 polling stations in the province fall under the highly sensitive category, while 422 are deemed sensitive and 160 normal. Karnali has a total of 1,455 polling centres, of which 446 are considered highly sensitive in terms of security. The province comprises 12 HoR constituencies - two each in Surkhet and Dailekh districts and one each in the remaining eight districts. A total of 1,037,800 voters are registered across 54 rural municipalities and 25 municipalities. Security arrangements have been strengthened across the province in view of the sensitivity assessment. Meanwhile, the Election Commission Nepal has directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to take immediate action against any prohibited activities during the election silence period, which begins at midnight on March 4. In a press statement, the Commission instructed all chief district officers and security agencies to strictly enforce the election code of conduct and relevant provisions of the Election (Offence and Punishment) Act, 2073. District-level Code of Conduct Monitoring Committees have been mobilised to monitor and act against violations. The Commission has also called for a ban on the sale, distribution and consumption of intoxicants from seven days before polling day until the final results are announced. Except for vehicles providing essential services - including ambulances, fire engines, security vehicles and utility repair services - as well as diplomatic missions and those with special election permits, all public and private vehicles will be prohibited from operating from midnight March 4 until voting concludes on March 5. However, domestic and international flights will operate as scheduled, and passengers with valid air tickets will be allowed to travel using authorised transport arrangements. In a separate development, the Commission said it has received 87 complaints related to alleged violations of the election code of conduct. Clarifications have been sought from 81 individuals and entities, while six have been asked to furnish further explanations. Responses have been received on 57 complaints, with dozens currently under review. Explanations have been sought from political parties, candidates, government and non-government organisations and media outlets through the Press Council Nepal. Legal proceedings have been initiated in cases where violations have been established. The Commission said both central and district-level monitoring mechanisms are actively engaged to ensure effective implementation of the code of conduct and to minimise election-related violations. (With inputs from RSS)