KATHMANDU, JULY 18
The Nepali Congress has decided to forge electoral alliances in the upcoming parliamentary and provincial elections.
NC Spokesperson Prakash Sharan Mahat said at a press briefing that the party's central working committee decided to go for strategic poll tie-up to ensure simple majority for the party.
"This central working committee has decided to move forward by forging poll tie-up with the parties in the ruling coalition through mutual dialogue targeting clear majority in the upcoming parliamentary and provincial polls for the NC so as to protect the constitution, strengthen democracy, and to provide stable government so that people could realise their aspirations," the NC stated in its press release.
Mahat said party leadership would soon initiate dialogue with partners of the ruling coalition keeping in mind the NC's status as a leading political force, organisational challenges, feelings of party supporters and well-wishers, and the party's strength in the recently held local polls.
The CWC also directed the party to come up with a common minimum programme with alliance partners on the issues of the implementation of the constitution, economic and social transformation, foreign relations, and other issues.
The NC will present its blueprint for quality governance through a stable government that will complete its full fiveyear term after elections, Mahat said. The party said its performance in recent local polls was satisfactory. It also drew the attention of the government towards the need for bringing important bills in consonance with the constitution.
Recalling the party's opposition to the KP Sharma Oli government's decision to bring an ordinance to amend the Constitutional Council Act to lower the quorum for the meeting, the NC CWC urged the government to abide by the spirit of the constitution while bringing important bills. Recently, the Sher Bahadur Deuba government was criticised for bringing a bill to amend the Constitutional Council (Functions, Duties, Powers and Procedures) Act whose contents were not much different from contents that the KP Sharma Oli government had incorporated in an ordinance. The Oli government had brought the ordinance to lower quorum for Constitutional Council meeting and the new bill contains the same provisions.
The new bill that the Deuba government registered in the National Assembly recently states, "A meeting shall be deemed to have achieved the required number of members if the chairperson and at least 50 per cent of the members are present," reads a provision in the amendment bill.
The existing Constitutional Council Act stipulates that a meeting will have achieved the quorum if the chairperson and at least other four members are present.
The CWC urged the government to control price rise and pay attention to problems faced by the people.
It also urged the government to secure passage of the citizenship bill in the current session of the parliament.
The NC named three heads of party committees. General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa will head the membership management committee, Ananda Prasad Dhungana will head the disciplinary committee, and Shyam Kumar Ghimire will head the accounts committee. Members of these committees are yet to be named. Spokesperson for the CPN (Unified Socialist) Jagannath Khatiwada welcomed the NC's decision to forge alliances before polls.
A version of this article appears in the print on July 19, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
