KATHMANDU, JANUARY 24

The Nepali Congress-led ruling alliance faces opposition not only from the main opposition CPN-UML, but also from an NC faction for its decision to delay local polls.

The Shekhar Koirala faction of the Nepali Congress has opposed the ruling alliance's decision to delay local polls.

Koirala held consultation with his faction leaders Gagan Kumar Thapa, Minendra Rijal, Arjun Narsingh KC, Chandra Bhandari, Ram Sharan Mahat, and Bal Bahadur KC today to discuss local polls.

According to Arjun Narsingh KC, faction leaders opposed the ruling alliance coordination committee's decision to delay local polls. Recently, the ruling alliance coordination committee had decided to hold polls for all three tiers - parliamentary, provincial, and local – simultaneously between mid-November 2022 and mid-March 2023.

KC said that the NC-led coalition government came to power with the slogan of protecting the letter and spirit of the constitution and constitutional institutions, but now it appeared to have deviated from its goal by trying to delay local polls.

The Election Commission has said that the tenure of local governments would end on May 5, but leaders of the ruling alliance, particularly from the CPN-Maoist Centre and the CPN (Unified Socialist), have said that the tenure should be counted from the third and final phase of local elections which were conducted on 18 September 2017. They are saying this to argue that local polls could be held six months after the expiry of the local governments' terms pursuant to Article 225.

The UML has, however, warned the government against delaying local polls on any pretext.

KC said since the prevailing laws provisioned for caretaker government at federal and provincial levels, but not at local levels, local elections should be held in time to avoid any vacuum in the lower tier of the government.

He said the government should not look for any loopholes to delay local polls.

The UML has said that Article 225 of the constitution allowed the formation of municipal and rural assemblies by the local executives within six months from the local elections, but that does not mean that local polls could be held six months from the expiry of the term of the local governments.

KC said that the ruling alliance coordination committee was formed to aid the government, but since political parties had to take a call on elections, the committee had no right to discuss polls.

KC said his faction was unhappy with party President and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba for not discussing polls within the party before discussing the issue in the ruling coalition.

Asked what his faction would do if the government went ahead with its plan of holding polls to all three tiers between mid-November 2022 and mid- March 2023, KC said his faction would continue to oppose the government's decision.

The Shekhar Koirala faction also criticised the government for not doing enough to save the judiciary, which has been witnessing prolonged protests by justices and the Nepal Bar Association.

The main opposition party, the CPN-UML, has been obstructing parliamentary proceedings, preventing the sovereign legislative body from passing bills and addressing people's problems. The judiciary is also witnessing unprecedented problems and if the government decides to create vacuum in the local government by delaying local polls, that could lead to disastrous consequences, KC added.

The laws allow caretaker govt at federal and provincial levels, but not at local levels - NC leader Arjun Narsingh KC

A version of this article appears in the print on January 25, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.