Kathmandu, June 2:

The fact that the CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist leaderships have finally settled for the election to a constituent assembly on an unannounced date later this year is being taken as an indication that they have switched over to pragmatic politics.

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala had pointed at the futility of confrontation and advised that the focus should be on holding the constituent assembly election, the central issue.

“Thursday’s eight-party conclave indeed marked a huge departure. That was the day when the Left parties decided to give Prime Minister Koirala one more chance to prove his worth by holding the election later this year,” Dr Lokraj Baral, a political analyst, told The Himalayan Times.

At the eight-party meet, the CPN (Maoist) and the CPN-UML leaderships backed the roadmap presented by Koirala in which he has pledged to hold the election this year.

“The pact could be the result of the international pressure on the Left parties. It could as well be the outcome of soul-searching on the part of Left leaders. I take it as a pragmatic approach,” Dr Baral said.

However, this is not to say that Koirala will continue to enjoy dominant position ever after assuming that he has come out successful in reining in the Left parties by having them agree to delayed polls. “It will be wrong to claim that Koirala

will grow powerful. Given the task he has on his shoulder, he is the only man who is under tremendous pressure. The responsibility of holding the election under dicey conditions now lies on his shoulder,” Dr Baral said.

He said the Left parties have merely given Koirala the benefit of the doubt that he will indeed hold the election by later this year.

“Koirala will have to single-handedly overcome all obstacles. The NC might have prevailed over the Left parties, but the party will have to make sure that election indeed takes place,” Dr Baral said by way of pointing out at the unforeseen complications which might derail the election.