As the House of Representatives elections approach, discussions have begun about the visible and invisible costs involved.

The Election Commission has set a spending limit of Rs 2.2 million to Rs 3.3 million for this election, depending on the constituency. 

However, the question has arisen whether the candidates will spend within this limit. And, on the other hand, there is also the question of whether this is enough for the candidates.

According to a study conducted by the ‘International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES),’ 57 percent of the candidates in the 2074 House of Representatives election had spent more than the specified limit. At that time, the maximum limit that a candidate could spend was Rs 2.5 million. 

A study conducted by the Election Supervision Committee showed that the average expenditure of the winning candidate in the 2074 House of Representatives election was Rs 2.13 million.  Similarly, the average expenditure of the runner-up was Rs 1.49 million. 

The study report also states that candidates who spend more money in the election are more likely to win. Similarly, those involved in the supervision say that the expenditure of candidates has increased further in the 2079 election. However, there has been no detailed study of the expenses incurred by candidates in the 2079 House of Representatives elections.

Although the Election Commission sets an expenditure limit for every election, some candidates have openly stated that they spent more than that. 

Congress leader Shashank Koirala had publicly stated that he spent Rs 60 million while contesting from Nawalpur-1 in the 2074 election. Before that, he had said that Rs 30 million was spent in 2070. 

After Koirala's statement, the Commission had asked him for clarification. However, the Commission had submitted details of only Rs 2.175 million spent.

Anti-corruption activist and analyst Dipesh Ghimire says that some candidates may exceed the Rs 3.3 million expenditure limit set by the Commission during the nomination process. 'Where do candidates get money from?' The source of the problem is in the source,' he says, 'the commission has still not been able to ensure transparency in income and expenditure and strict adherence to the code of conduct.'

A complaint was filed alleging that the code of conduct was violated when the then Prime Minister and Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba reached Dadeldhura during the 2079 House of Representatives elections. 

The complaint mentioned that 47 vehicles and a helicopter were used in the program he attended. The complaint was put on hold because no factual basis was found for Deuba's bringing those vehicles and the helicopter was used with the consent of the Election Commission. 

Shyam Ghimire, who was the chief whip of the Congress in the dissolved House of Representatives, says that the expenses incurred by candidates in the election field and the limit set by the commission are completely unreasonable. According to him, the limit set by the commission is spent before reaching the district after receiving a ticket from the party. 

‘A candidate cannot win an election without spending Rs 50 million, and there is no way to say that he will win even if he spends that much,’ said Ghimire, who was elected from Sindhuli-1 in 2079 BS. ‘A person with a weak financial situation should think ten times before contesting the election.’

The Election (Offences and Punishments) Act provides for a complaint to be filed to invalidate the election if an elected candidate has spent more than the limit prescribed under the prevailing federal law in the election, or has spent it unnaturally or for illegal purposes, or has received support illegally. 

Section 43(2) of the Act states that if the complaint is proven, the court can invalidate the election of an elected candidate. Election Commissioner Sagun Shumsher Jabra, who is overseeing the monitoring of the election code of conduct, says that candidates or parties should not spend more than the prescribed amount. 

‘Following the law and code of conduct is also a matter of ethics for political parties and candidates,’ he said. ‘We have not yet been able to adopt a technology-based monitoring system. We have tried to do a good job within certain resources. We have tightened the expenditure. We have already requested the National Bank to keep the bank accounts of candidates and relatives under surveillance.'

How much can be spent in which district?

According to the Election Commission, candidates in 5 constituencies of Kathmandu can spend a maximum of 2.5 million rupees in the upcoming elections. 

Similarly, the limit for spending is 1.7 million in 22 constituencies, 2.9 million in 65 constituencies, 3.1 million in 52 constituencies and 3.3 million in 26 constituencies. 

It has been said that candidates can use only a maximum of 2 vehicles with the permission of the election officer. The code of conduct states that a maximum of 4 horses can be used in places where vehicles are not allowed. 

Similarly, the distribution of T-shirts and caps has been banned. There have also been controls on posters and pamphlets. It has been said that only a certain number of banners of a certain size can be put up. 

A detailed story about the expenditure in the election has been published in today's Kantipur Daily. To read the story, click here .