KATHMANDU: A meeting of the ruling parties and the United Democratic Madhesi Front on Friday has asked Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to prepare a new Constitution amendment proposal so as to bring agitating UDMF on board the local level election process. The meeting assigned the PM for holding discussions with top leaders of the major parties and draft the proposal, according to the CPN Maoist Centre spokesperson Pampha Bhusal, who was present at the meeting. During the meeting, the Prime Minister had proposed to put the amendment proposal, currently stalled at the Parliament, on hold and bring a new one, which the agitating leaders apparently offered their green signal to. According to a statement issued by the PM's Secretariat, the Prime Minister proposed that a schedule would be added to the Constitution listing out languages of official use as recommended by the Language Commission whereas the chiefs and deputy chiefs of rural municipalities and municipalities would not be included in the electoral college for the National Assembly (Upper House). Likewise, a commission would be formed to revise the boundaries of provinces and the number of local level bodies would be determined on the basis of population. Dahal proposed that the issue of boundaries would be settled before provincial and federal elections. Similarly, other demands raised by the Federal Alliance and the United Democratic Madhesi Front would be settled on the basis of political consensus, he suggested. PM Dahal, Deputy PM Krishna Bahadur Mahara, leaders Barsha Man Pun, Matrika Yadav, Pampha Bhusal and Chandra Prakash Khanal of the CPN Maoist Centre; Ram Chandra Paudel, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Prakash Man Singh and Deputy PM Bimalendra Nidhi from the Nepali Congress; Minister Deepak Bohara from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party; Upendra Yadav, Mahantha Thakur, Rajendra Mahato, Anil Kumar Jha, Sharad Singh Bhandari and Rajendra Shrestha among others from the UDMF were present at the meeting. READ ALSO:

• 'Pact already in place to bring UDMF on board poll process'