KATHMANDU: A large amount of money is estimated to be spent in holding two levels of elections—provincial and federal.

More than Rs 6.50 billion was spent in the recently concluded local level polls which were held in three phases, while money between Rs 20 billion and Rs 25 billion is estimated to be spent in the House of Representatives and State Assemblies elections slated for November 26 and December 7, said former Secretary of the Finance Ministry Shanta Raj Subedi.

The Ministry released the payment for the expenditure used in the local level elections.

However, most of the amount spent in the polls goes to security management, according to the Election Commission (EC).

The Ministry has set aside Rs 30 billion for the all three levels of elections, said joint secretary Kebal Prasad Bhandari. "The Ministry will release the payment for the expenditure periodically," he said.