KATHMANDU: The largest party Nepali Congress said on Saturday that it will take an initiative to convince the United Democratic Madhesi Front to continue providing Madhesi parties' support to the government in order to save the ruling coalition.

A meeting of the party's office-bearers decided to hold talks with all the stakeholders apropos to the Constitution amendment and ensuring local level elections on scheduled date.

The UDMF on Wednesday, March 8 had served a seven-day ultimatum to the Prime Minister to meet its demands regarding revocation of the government's decision to hold local level elections on May 14 and the Constitution amendment. Failure to meet its demands would mean automatic withdrawal of the support to the government, the alliance of Madhesi parties had warned.

Nepali Congress will take an initiative to hold talks with the main opposition CPN-UML as well as other parties to pass the Constitution Amendment Bill and hold the scheduled elections, leader Ramesh Lekhak, who is also a minister in the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government, said after the meeting held at the NC's Parliamentary Party office.

Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba aspires to become the Prime Minister after the Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government holds the local level elections as per an agreement between the two leaders when they shook hands to form an alliance to bring down the KP Sharma Oli-led government in July last year.

Apparently to garner more support for the proposed amendment to the Constitution, Prime Minister Dahal has brought Rastriya Prajatantra Party Chairman Kamal Thapa on board the Cabinet as a Deputy Prime Minister.

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(With inputs from Rastriya Samachar Samiti)