KATHMANDU, APRIL 16
Spokesperson for the Nepali Congress Prakash Sharan Mahat today said that his party would not issue any directive to the lower committees about poll tie-ups in rural municipalities and municipalities as per party rules.
The central leadership is, however, entitled to issue directives on poll strategies for metropolitan and sub-metropolitan cities.
"The lower committees are free to take decisions about poll tie-ups with other ruling coalition partners on the basis of need and political strength of coalition partners," Mahat told mediapersons at the party headquarters today.
He further added that the vote share in the last election and organisational strength of political parties could be bases for forging poll alliance with coalition partners.
Mahat said that if any coalition partner felt strongly about the prospect of their win, they could go for friendly competition with ruling coalition partners.
"In many places where coalition partners feel that they have strong chance of winning elections and where the main opposition CPN-UML cannot win, the coalition partners can go for friendly competition in the local polls, but there is the one condition, coalition partners cannot tie up with the UML because that is the consensus reached between the top leaders of coalition partners," Mahat said.
Meanwhile, Chair of CPN (Unified Socialist) Madhav Kumar Nepal warned coalition partners against undermining the UML's political strength in the local polls.
Addressing a programme today, Nepal said that his party played the role of a decisive force in dislodging the KP Sharma Oli government.
"Political parties should not overrate their strength and they should not underrate our political strength," Nepal said and added that recently his party was humiliated by others who underrated his party's strength.
Nepal's remarks come at a time when some other coalition leaders have commented that Nepal's party had sought more seats than it deserved.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 17, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
