Kathmandu, Nepal, April 19, 2022: Election fever has gripped the nation as the local level election that is slated for May 13, 2022 is approaching nearer to doorsteps of all Nepalese nationals. Political parties, regardless of ruling allies or oppositions, have started flexing their muscles by forging electoral alliances against each others to prove their strengths in the local levels.
The ruling alliance- Nepali Congress, CPN (Maoist Center), CPN (Unified Socialist), Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) and Rastriya Janamorcha Party, which had already announced for an electoral alliance in the upcoming local level election, is struggling hard to finalize the distribution of posts in the local unites amid the widening differences.
As meeting of the ruling coalition held twice on Monday failed to reach an agreement to finalize the distribution of metropolis and sub-metropolises due to the respective stands of the alliance, the meeting was resumed today at Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s Baluwatar of Kathmandu based official resident. The ruling alliance have failed to finalize the basis of electoral alliance in other remaining local bodies due to the differences to finalize the distribution of metropolis and sub-metropolises
Though is just six days to go before the deadline for the nomination filing, political parties, regardless of ruling allies or oppositions, have failed to finalize the candidates, thanks to the inter and intra party differences. The political parties have faced difficulties not only distribute the posts among the parties but also to finalize the candidates from within the parties.
The main opposition CPN-UML that had proudly mentioned earlier that it would solely contest in the upcoming local level election against the ruling alliance even stating that would able to garner about 70 percent seats, has now intensified its efforts for forging electoral alliances with other fringe parties.
The UML, which had already agreed for the electoral alliance with Kamal Thapa-led Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal and Ek Nath Dhakal-led Pariwar Dal has now intensified discussions with Mahantha Thakur-led Loktantrik Samajbadi Party, CK Raut-led Janamath Party, Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal, Narayanman Bijukchhe-led Nepal Workers' and Peasants' Party, Hridayesh Tripathi-led Janata Pragatisheel Party and a dissident fraction of the ruling head Nepali Congress-led by Govinda Raj Joshi to forge electoral alliance.
As Thapa-led Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal and Dhakal-led Pariwar Dal had agreed to contest in the upcoming local polls using UML’s election symbol, sun, the UML has now offering the same modalities with other parties. It is said, however, that Thakur-led Loktantrik Samajbadi Party and Bijukchhe led Nepal Workers' and Peasants' Party has been denying the UML’s offer to contest in the upcoming elections using UML’s election symbol.
Though the UML leaders, mainly its chairman KP Sharma Oli, had been claiming earlier that they are strong enough to fight against the five-party alliance with the conviction that the five-party alliance will not remain intact till the election, they have come to realization now that electoral alliance is must to compete against the ruling alliance.
