KATHMANDU: A few hours after the government officially asked the Election Commission of Nepal to make necessary preparations for local elections, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal held a meeting with the leaders of United Democratic Madhesi Front in his bid to assure them that he did not ignore them.

Dahal invited the Madhesi parties at Baluwatar for a joint meeting on Friday evening and told them that he wanted to move forward the preparations for local elections and the Constitution amendment that they sought simultaneously.

The Prime Minister's secretariat said the meeting ended on a positive note.

Earlier today, the government dispatched an official letter to the Election Commission to do the groundwork for elections of village councils and municipalities. A Cabinet meeting had taken the decision to this effect yesterday.

It has been learned that the Prime Minister told the Madhesi leaders that the letter did not specify any dates in the letter and poll dates were yet to be announced.

An understanding has been made between the Madhesi leaders and the Prime Minister to take an initiative to correct and endorse the Constitution Amendment Bill from the Parliament, according to a statement issued by the PM's secretariat.

Most of the top leaders of the parties affiliated with UDMF, except Federal Socialist Forum Nepal's Upendra Yadav who apparently was outside Kathmandu, attended the meeting called by the PM.

Prime Minister Dahal assured the Madhesi parties of "making efforts" to address their concerns over the report prepared by Local Body Reconstructing Commission, the report said.

Emerging from the meeting, Ashok Rai of Federal Socialist Forum Nepal said the parties made it clear to the Prime Minister that they would not take part in the elections unless the Constitution Amendment Bill was endorsed with revision, the Rastriya Samachar Samiti reported.

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(Updated with inputs from Rastriya Samachar Samiti)