Poudel urged Khanal not to stand neutral as the CPN-UML´s decision not to vote for any of the candidates has created a deadlock in the election process. [break]
After senior UML leader and Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal withdrew Khanal´s candidacy saying Khanal failed to garner support of two-thirds majority in parliament, Poudel and Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal remain in the fray.
UML fielded Khanal´s conditional candidacy saying that he would fight for the post only if there are concrete grounds to form a government of two-thirds majority. UML has said its lawmakers wouldn´t vote for any of the candidates for forming simple majority government.
"I requested him to help end the deadlock by voting for me as UML´s role is inevitable for ending the stalemate," Poudel told myrepublica.com. According to him, Khanal was of the view that there was still possibility for consensus.
"Saying that he is for putting more efforts to build consensus, Jhalanathji asked me to hold more dialogues with Maoists and assured that he too would talk with the Maoists to build consensus," Poudel said.
According to UML leaders, Khanal instead urged Poudel to withdraw from the prime ministerial race and help elect new prime minister through consensus.
"Poudel asked Khanal for support but our [UML] chairman suggested to him that both -- Poudel and Dahal -- need to withdraw their candidacies and start afresh. It is the only way to make the process result-oriented," said UML leader Ghanashyam Bhusal, who talked to Khanal, after Poudel-Khanal one-on-one at the latter´s residence.
In response, Poudel asked Khanal that he expects UML support arguing that a Maoist-led government can´t be acceptable until the issues surrounding Maoist combatants, Young Communist League´s paramilitary structure and return of the seized property are resolved.
"Let me head the government until these issues are resolved and the peace process is taken to its logical conclusion. After that, options for governments under Dahal or you [Khanal] will be open," Bhusal quoted Poudel as saying.
Poudel claimed that Khanal mainly wanted consensus but did not ask him to withdraw candidacy.
Both the leaders, however, were one on the need for political parties to stand together for successful completion of constitution-writing and the peace process but they didn´t reach any conclusion at the meeting. According to Bhusal, the two leaders agreed to continue more talks.
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