Nepal

NSC nod to deploy army for elections

NSC nod to deploy army for elections

By Himalayan News Service

Nepal Army. Illustration: Ratna Sagar Shrestha/THT

Kathmandu, March 22 The National Security Council today endorsed a proposal seeking deployment of the Nepali Army for the upcoming local level elections slated for May 14. The NSC meeting presided over by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal decided to deploy NA personnel in the outermost security ring as it was done during the second Constituent Assembly election in November 2013, according to Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat. Besides PM Dahal and Foreign Minister Mahat, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Defence Minister Bal Krishna Khand were present during the meeting. Likewise, Chief Secretary Som Lal Subedi and Chief of Army Staff General Rajendra Chhetri also attended the meeting, while Defence Secretary Shreedhar Sapkota was present as NSC member-secretary. Earlier, the Central Security Committee headed by DPM and Home Minister Nidhi had decided to mobilise as many as 226,000 security personnel, including NA, APF and Nepal Police as well as additional 75,000 temporary police.