Dr. Mahat overwhelmed with huge budget demand for elections

Finance Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat has said that he has been overwhelmed by huge demands for budget for the purpose of Constituent Assembly (CA) elections.

FM Ram Sharan Mahat (File Photo)

Talking to Kantipur Television, Dr. Mahat said, "Normally we used to spend around Rs 1 billion during past general elections. But this time you cannot imagine how much the demands have increased."

Dr. Mahat said that the Election Commission (EC) alone has demanded Rs 2 billion while police have demanded Rs 5 to 6 billion for providing security.

"How can we bear such huge budget?" Dr. Mahat asked.

The government has decided to hold CA elections on November 22. The EC is currently engaged in preparing CA Regulations, Code of Conduct and Guidelines. It is poised to initiate discussions with political parties and other stakeholders regarding the regulations and code of conduct. nepalnews.com sd Jun 27 07