KATHMANDU: Major political parties on Monday held a meeting with the Local Body Restructuring Commission and tried to convince the latter to agree with the additional mandate the government had fixed for it.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had called a meeting among three major parties - Nepali Congress, CPN UML and CPN Maoist Centre - as well as chief of the LBRC, Balanandra Paudel, in that bid today.

In the meeting, the leaders of major parties including PM Dahal, NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba and UML Vice-Chairman Bhim Rawal told Paudel to carry out the restructuring work on the basis of existing structures of areas (ilakas) as the parties have recently agreed, according to the PM's Secretariat.

The Cabinet had recently endorsed the parties' understanding and given the new mandate to the constitutional body.

The Cabinet decision, however, had reportedly angered the LBRC members as the government changed the mandate while they were about to finish the assignment.

The officials were even pondering resignation en masse, according to some reports.

Minister for Federal Affairs and Local Development Hitraj Pandey was also present at the meeting today.