CHITWAN, DECEMBER 3

CPN-MC Chairperson Puspa Kamal Dahal has ruled out the possibility of local level elections being held in March or April. Speaking to journalists at Bharatpur Airport in Chitwan today, Dahal said election date would only be finalised following discussion between political parties and the Election Commission.

While responding to journalists' query about Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's assertions that election would soon be held, Dahal said, 'I don't know in what context he (the prime minister) said that, but election's date hasn't been finalised as yet; if anything, it can't happen in come March/April, that's for sure.'

On a different note, Dahal hailed the reinstatement of the dissolved Parliament by the judiciary, and said they owed to the judiciary for the same. 'The judiciary did a great favour by saving the supreme people's elected body from being dissolved.

We will support the judiciary, now that it's through a difficult time,' he said. 'Just yesterday, we coalition partners convened and decided it would be better for the chief justice to be on leave and fix someone to deputise for him during his hospital-stay,' he added.

'Now that the CJ has returned from hospital, we ruling parties will convene again and discuss the matter,' Dahal said.

Yet on a different note, the ruling coalition leader said the upcoming parliamentary meeting called for December 14 would carry out its regular work.

When asked about the UML's obstruction of the Parliament, the Maoist leader said, 'They (UML) have been obstructing the House from early on; it didn't affect the House session and couldn't prevent the budget from being passed in the past. Just as the House continued amidst the obstruction earlier, it will continue to run this time too'. A version of this article appears in the print on December 4, 2021 of The Himalayan Times.