KATHMANDU: The Election Commission has begun consultation on ceiling of election expenditure for the candidates for the upcoming elections to the House of Representatives and of provincial parliament.

The EC has proposed that the election candidate under the FPTP category would spend up to Rs 1.4 million in the election of the House of Representatives.

Similarly, for the election of the provincial parliament, the candidate under the FPTP category would be spending half the amount set maximum for the candidate of the House of Representatives election.

Every leader filing nomination under the closed list of the proportional election system for the House of Representatives has been proposed to spend Rs 200,000.

The EC further said it has proposed Rs 1,50,000 for the candidate aspiring to a member of the provincial parliament.

It was informed during the consultation that the EC proposed the ceiling of the election expenditure in a bid to make the election free, fair, and frugal.

At the consultation, Nepali Congress leader Dr Minendra Rijal insisted on the need of making the issues relating to election expenditure practical and objective.

CPN (UML) leader Agni Prasad Kharel was of the view of making the election expenditure practical and usual.

Federal Socialist Forum Nepal's Chief Whip Dr Shivaji Yadav said election extravagance was always harmful for the nation. "The proposal presented by the EC to this end is comparatively appropriate."

Naya Shakti Party's leader Nawaraj Subedi said the ceiling of the election expenditure should be fixed on the basis of ballots received by political parties.

Nepal Workers and Peasants' Party Prem Suwal, accusing major political parties of breaching the election code of conduct, stressed the need of slashing the election cost to Rs 140,000.

EC Joint Secretary Sushil Koirala was present in the discussions.