Kathmandu, Oct 26: The Election Commission (EC) has estimated that around 7.5 billion rupees will be spent on the upcoming House of Representatives (HoR) election scheduled for March 5.

As part of the election preparations, the Commission has prepared a preliminary budget estimate, though the final figure has not yet been confirmed. The Commission plans to finalize it soon and forward it to the Ministry of Finance.

According to Commission spokesperson Suman Ghimire, the budget is still under preparation. “The estimated cost is about 7.5 billion rupees, but it has not been finalized yet,” he said.

While drafting the budget, the Commission is also preparing a list of materials required for the election.

It has urged that procurement begin immediately after the Chhath festival. Discussions with the Ministry of Finance are ongoing. The Commission said it plans to purchase additional materials while reusing some that are already available.


Apart from procurement, the Commission plans to allocate some funds under a contingency heading to manage emergencies, including air transport of staff and election materials by helicopter.

The budget includes provisions for such measures, considering the challenges of conducting elections in mountainous areas due to unpredictable weather. Staff and materials will be transported by helicopter when weather conditions allow.