KATHMANDU: The Election Commission of Nepal has stated that it will need around Rs.7.9 billion to hold the upcoming general election slated for April 30 and May 10.
A meeting of the Commission held on Tuesday decided to demand Rs 7.79 billion from the Ministry of Finance.
According to the spokesperson of the Commission, Raj Kumar Shrestha, the Commission has formulated procedures to adopt economy while conducting and managing the election during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The budget does not include the purchase of new materials, equipment and vehicles as it has been used in the last election to repair and use various equipment and vehicles, including the existing ballot boxes,” the Commission said in a statement.
The Commission has also proposed Rs. 374,100,000 for the security arrangements.
The Commission has also stated that a minimum number of staff will be deployed in the election.
However, the major political parties including Nepali Congress and Prachanda-Nepal faction of NCP have been in doubt over the election. A case against the dissolution of the House of Representatives is in Supreme Court. It looks like that the hearing may take several more days and the verdict may be delayed further.
In such case, it will affect the election process. All the opposition parties have been raising voice that the untimely dissolution of House of Representatives an unconstitutional, undemocratic and autocratic move of the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
