KATHMANDU, May 6: A senior leader of the CPN-UML, Madhav Kumar Nepal has called on President Bidya Devi Bhandari.

According to leader Nepal’s personal secretary Mohan Gautam, Nepal reached Sheetal Niwas, President’s official residence, shortly after holding a meeting with the main opposition party, Nepali Congress (NC), President Sher Bahadur Deuba at the latter’s residence in Budhanilkantha.

Nepal and Deuba held an hour-long meeting at the latter’s residence in Budhanilkantha.

Nepal has been holding a series of meetings with leaders of opposition parties after Prime Minister K P Oli announced to seek a vote of confidence in parliament on May 10. His meetings with the opposition parties have been viewed with much interest in the political circle. 

Lawmakers close to the Nepal-led faction in the party are reportedly preparing to resign en masse to foil Oli’s bid to secure a vote of confidence. 

The meeting of leader Nepal with Deuba comes a day after Prime Minister Oli along with his key confidantes reached Budhanilakantha to see NC’s support in his bid to secure a vote of confidence motion. Prime Minister Oli had also called on President Bhandari on Thursday afternoon shortly after the party’s emergency Standing Committee meeting.

Amid fear that Prime Minister Oli, who is also the parliamentary party leader of the UML, could take action against lawmakers close to him, senior leader Nepal has been holding discussion with lawmakers close to him to tender resignation en masse even before the prime minister receives vote of confidence from parliament. The ruling UML has fallen on the verge of split as Prime Minister Oli has announced not to revoke his unilateral decisions to induct former Maoist Center leaders as the party's Central Committee members and strip off the party's responsibilities of leaders close to him. 

In the last-ditch effort to save the party unity, Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel, a leader close to Oli, had held meeting with two leaders --Surendra Pandey and Gokarna Bista-- close to leader Nepal on Thursday afternoon. Sources said the 30-minute long meeting, however, could not find any wayout to the intra-party dispute that has pushed the ruling party on the verge of split. 

 
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