Now‚ battle of ballots begins

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: The battle of the ballot has begun right after the Supreme Court rejected the pleas for restoration of the disbanded House of Representatives on Tuesday. Opposition political parties as well as the rival faction of the Nepali Congress party welcomed the verdict to go ahead with the November 13 parliamentary elections. The hope is that the new government would help pull the country out of the current economic and political quagmire. Prime minister Deuba has welcomed the decision. In a statement, he said that the apex court’s decision has honoured the right of the prime minister to seek the mandate of the people and provided a new direction to the country. “We accept the Supreme Court decision even if it came unexpectedly,” said Arjun Narsingh KC, a spokesman for the Nepali Congress faction led by former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala. “In view of the existing circumstances when the present government has not been brought under the existing laws and code of conduct, the Election Commission’s major challenge and litmus test is to ensure that the elections are flawless and free,” said KC. The party’s central working committee is meeting on Wednesday. “We have always abided by the Supreme Court’s verdict,” said KP Sharma Oli, deputy general secretary of the CPN-UML, the first party to gear for the elections. The decision is in the spirit of the Constitution and will indeed put an end to the lingering political uncertainties and confusion, he said.