Kathmandu, August 16

Key political forces, including parties in the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government, the main opposition CPN-UML party and the Madhes-based parties today held joint discussions for the first time on how local bodies’ election could be held before mid-April by completing the task of restructuring local bodies.

The meeting of major forces called by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal decided to help the Local Bodies’ Restructuring Commission come up with its report by August-end, according to the PM’s Personal Secretary Ramesh Malla.

The commission was scheduled to accomplish its task today but it will work further and attempt to draft a report that is acceptable to all political forces within the next 15 days.

PM Dahal requested the parties not to suspect the government’s determination to hold the local polls by mid-April. “The government is committed to holding local polls by mid-April.

Let’s forge political consensus and give new Terms of Reference to the commission and ensure local polls on time,” Dahal told the meeting, according to Malla.

Sadbhawana Party leader Laxman Lal Karna said leaders of Madhes-based parties considered it necessary to amend the new constitution for addressing their demands before restructuring the local bodies.

Karna said without amending the constitution it was not possible to either carry out reconstruction work or hold local polls. “Amendment of the new constitution should be the first priority if the constitution is to be implemented as announced,” added Karna.

The Madhes-based parties want to apply uniform criteria of population necessary for determining the boundaries of local bodies in all regions of the country, he said.

UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, who led the party’s team at today’s meeting, expressed doubt whether the government would be able to hold the polls as scheduled.

NC leader Ramchandra Paudel, who led the NC’s team in the meeting, said the preliminary assessment of the commission was impractical, as proposed number 565 of village councils would be insufficient and could not ensure easy accessibility of the people to the civic authorities of their areas.

The PM had called the meeting in a bid to forge political consensus to help the commission come up with practical demarcation of boundaries of local bodies and pave the way for holding local polls on time.

The commission is mandated to determine the number and boundaries of local bodies and decide names of local bodies by holding consultations with political parties and local people across the country.