Kathmandu, March 18:

The campaign unleashed by former prime minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai to save the monarchy got a jolt today as one of the key members of the campaign Bishwonath Upadhyay refused to attend a meeting at Bhattarai’s residence at Bhainsepati this morning, sources said.

The sources said the campaigners were supposed to meet at Bhaisepati to give final touches to a draft minute prepared by a majority of them yesterday.

The sources said that 21 members of the campaign had agreed to the draft which called on the government to immediately postpone the Constituent Assembly polls, which they said would lead the country towards disintegration.

A member of the group said on the condition of anonymity that Damannath Dhungana and Upadhyay were not in favour of a call to postpone the polls.

“Both were instead in favour of a call for re-activation of the 1990 constitution,” the member added. Bhattarai, too, had not signed on the draft.

The member said many of the group had gathered at Bhattarai’s residence this morning, but Dhungana and Upadhyay didn’t turn up.

“As Upadhyay refused to meet, the future of the campaign has now become uncertain,”

he added.