Nepali Congress leaders have mounted pressure on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to announce local polls so that it will have a chance to lead the government after the local polls as per the gentlemen’s agreement. Senior NC leader Gopal Man Shrestha said that his party had been asking the government to announce election schedules immediately as per the recent understandingbetween the three big parties — the NC, the CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre. “We want elections to be held immediately to implement and save the constitution,” he added. NC leaders claim that there was a gentlemen’s agreement between the NC and the CPN-Maoist Centre that the CPN-MC would lead the government till the local elections and the NC would take the mantle of the government after the local polls.
In a recent meeting with United Democratic Madhesi Front leaders where NC leaders were also present, PM Dahal assured the Madhesi leaders that he would declare election date only after taking all sides, particularly the UDMF on board.
Shrestha said holding elections and sharing power were two different things and PM Dahal needed to transfer power to NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba even if the Dahal government could not hold elections before mid- April.
Full Article: NC pressuring PM to declare civic elections – The Himalayan Times.
