They must keep in mind the need for maintaining the five-party alliance at the centre

KATHMANDU, APRIL 15

Nepali Congress Vice-president Purna Bahadur Khadka has told the party's Local Level Election Mobilisation Committee that the central leadership will not impose its decision on lower-level committees of the party about poll tie-up with other ruling coalition partners. He, however, made it clear that all party committees should take decisions keeping in mind the need for maintaining the five-party alliance at the centre.

According to committee member Nain Singh Mahar, Khadka, who is the coordinator of the committee, told the committee that the central leadership of the party had decided to tie up with other ruling coalition partners in local polls slated for May 13 and the party's lower committees needed to abide by the party's decision.

He said while the party's central leadership would take a call on tie-ups in metropolitan cities, lower-level committees would decide on poll tie-ups in municipalities and rural municipalities as per local needs and assessment.

Khadka said the coalition at the centre was formed against unconstitutional acts of the KP Sharma Oli government and to save the constitution. He said coalition partners, including the NC, needed to work with the same spirit.

"Since other coalition partners, including the Madhav Kumar Nepal-led CPN (Unified Socialist), also played a key role in dislodging the Oli government, the NC should not leave the Nepal-led party in the lurch," Mahar quoted Khadka as telling the party committee.

Khadka said coalition partners played their role to save the constitution and efforts should be made to keep the five-party alliance intact.

NC leader Nain Singh Mahar told mediapersons after the meeting that the committee decided to send central leaders to all provinces and districts to oversee local election process.

The NC has issued directives to the party's sister wings to form election mobilisation committees at multiple layers of local levels to run campaign for party candidates, as well as ruling coalition partners' candidates.

A version of this article appears in the print on April 16, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.