Kathmandu, Nepal: Following an intense negotiations, the ruling coalition and the agitating Madhesi Front have finally forged a consensus assuring the local elections in two phases- first on scheduled date on May 14 and second on June 14.
As per the deal, the constitution amendment bill registered in the parliament will be revised before being tabled in the full House to address grievances of the agitating Madhesi and then the agitating Madhesi parties will participate in local elections by calling off its agitations.
With the deal, there is merriment among the people that the local elections have become certain now. However, numerous questions are still looming around the sky. Even though the main opposition UML had given its nod for two phase elections if Madhesi parties agreed to participate in the elections, it has now begun to protest the deal.
Interesting fact of now is that not only the Main opposition but also the agitating Madhesi parties have also begun to speak against of the deal. We have made an understanding to participate in the elections but not made any deal; chairman of the recently formed Rastriya Janata Party (RJP) Mahanta Thakur said while commenting about the deal on Monday.
According to him, the agitating Madhes based parties will participate in the elections only if the demands raised by them are addressed through the amendment in the constitution before the elections. Even though the government allies and the Madhesi parties had agreed to amend the constitution, no decision was made about the contents of the amendment proposal.
As neither the government allies nor the agitating Madhesi parties are confident over the deal, the main opposition UML has got a chance to play over the deal to establish its partisan interest in the pretext of nationalism.
UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has said on Monday that his party would not support the government’s fresh constitution amendment proposal. Speaking at the Legislature-Parliament on Monday, he had said that his party cannot support such deal to amend the constitution.
The government has proposed to empower the federal commission to change the provincial boundaries without the consent of the state assembly concerned, we cannot support it, he said.
Similarly the loose understanding reached between the government allies and the agitating Madhesi parties to increase the number of local units in different Terai districts is also opposed by the UML.
A Standing Committee meeting of the party held earlier on Monday at Chairman Oli’s residence in Balkot had conclusion that the government’s move to amend the constitution on the name of addressing the grievances of the agitating forces would polarize the parties further.
The meeting had also opposed the government’s decision to hold the local polls in two phases. The UML has a claim regarding the decision to hold the local elections in two phases that the decision would have indented to influence voters with populist program in the fiscal budget.
The UML has alleged that new amendment proposal is more regressive and anti-people than the previous one. The government on April 11 withdrew the bill tabled on January 8 to replace it with another bill as earlier proposal to change the boundaries of Province 5 was widely opposed from different sectors.
