KATHMANDU, Jan 21: Minister for Finance, Bishnu Poudel has said that the party led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will emerge as the largest party in the elections announced for April 30 and May 10.

Poudel, who is also the general secretary of the Oli-led Nepal Communist Party, claimed that their party will emerge as the largest force in parliament. He was addressing a function organized by Press Organization Nepal close to the Oli-faction in the capital on Thursday. 

On the occasion, Poudel also expressed his confidence that the mid-term polls will be held on the announced dates in April and May later this year. “The government agencies have already begun preparatory works for the upcoming elections,” said Poudel, adding, “Some people are misleading the people saying that elections won’t be held. But, be assured that polls are inevitable.”

President Bidya Devi Bhandari, on December 20 last year, dissolved the 275-member House of Representatives and announced mid-term polls for April 30 and May 10 at the recommendation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. This has led to a vertical split in the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP), which emerged as the largest party in the 2015 General Elections. Two factions – one led by PM Oli and the other by Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal — have been holding separate meetings and assemblies and even exchanging heated words following the dissolution of the lower house of the federal parliament.

In a different context, Poudel shared that their faction’s multiple efforts to save party unity was ruined due to the irrelevant issues raised by the rival faction led by Dahal and Nepal. “The prime minister dissolved parliament as he was not allowed to work independently.”

Though there is no possibility of the House getting restored, we’ll accept the verdict given by the Supreme Court in this regard, said Poudel.

 
• Bishnu_Poudel
 
• NCP