KATHMANDU, Jan 24: Intra-party dispute has surfaced within the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) on whether to hold the local level poll by mid-May or defer it for another six months.

The rival faction within the party led by Dr Shekhar Koirala on Monday held a virtual meeting with leaders close to the faction to exert pressure on the party leadership to hold the local level poll by mid-May. The faction has concluded that any decision to defer the local level poll based on constitutional or legal loopholes may be counterproductive to the electoral prospect of the party.

The meeting of the rival faction concluded that it is in the larger interest of the party to contest the upcoming election alone. Leaders close to Dr Koirala also expressed a strong exception to the unilateral decision taken by the party president and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba defer the election by amending election related Act. 

During a meeting held on Sunday, the ruling alliance had decided to follow the constitutional provision related to the local level election. As per the constitutional provision, the election to the local level must be held within six months after the term of elected representatives expires. However, the election related Act makes it mandatory to hold the local level poll before the terms of the elected office bearers expire.

According to leaders present in the meeting, the rival faction has decided to exert pressure on the party leadership to hold the local level by mid-May. The meeting has also decided not to accept the strategy of the party leadership to undermine dissenting voices in the party.

Senior leader Arjun Narasingh KC, Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, Bal Bahadur KC, General Secretary Gagan Thapa, Dr Minendra Rijal and Chandra Bhandari, among others, participated tThe virtual meeting called by Dr Koirala.

 
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