KATHMANDU, July 19: Leaders from major political parties have formed an eight-member taskforce to study the constitutional and other complications in delineating the electoral constituencies and offer suggestions to the High Level Political Committee (HLPC). A meeting of the HLPC on Thursday took the decision to this effect.
The taskforce members are Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Khimlal Devkota from UCPN (Maoist), Ram Sharan Mahat and Minendra Rijal from Nepali Congress (NC), Surendra Pandey and Agni Kharel from CPN-UML and Hridayesh Tripathi and Jitendra Dev from United Madhesi Democratic Front (UDMF). [break]
"The team is assigned to study the constitutional and other technical complications, hold discussions with agencies concerned including office-bearers from the Constituency Delineation Commission (CDC) and submit a report to the HLPC within three days," said NC Vice-president Ram Chandra Paudel.
Key leaders from member parties of the HLPC -- UCPN (Maoist), NC, CPN-UML and UDMF -- took the decision as CDC office bearers had earlier this week briefed HLPC members about the constitutional and other complications in delineating electoral constituencies and sought a political solution from the leaders.
CDC chief Tahir Ali Ansari had told the leaders that they were in a fix due to contradictory constitutional provisions. A provision in the Interim Constitution demands increment in the number of constituencies as the population in almost all the districts has increased but another provision rules out any increase in the total of 240 constituencies delimited for the CA poll in 2008.
The meeting also entrusted UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is the HLPC coordinator at present, with the responsibility of holding informal talks with CPN-Maoist Chairman Mohan Baidya and Madhesi People´s Rights Forum´s Chairman Upendra Yadav to create an environment conducive to formal negotiations with them.
The HLPC meeting on Wednesday decided to send a formal letter of invitation to talks to the Baidya-led 33-party alliance, and Dahal dispatched the letter the same evening. But Baidya and other leaders from dissident parties rejected the talks offer, saying the HLPC parties have set preconditions.
The HLPC on Thursday assigned Dahal with the responsibility of making things clear to Baidya and Yadav and persuading them to join formal talks.
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