The even agreed in principle to hold a roundtable during their talks with the Mohan Baidya-led alliance on Thursday morning as the agitating side argued that a roundtable would pave the for their participation in the polls.
But a day later on Friday, the new demands put forth by the agitating alliance have dashed hopes. CPN-Maoist Chairman Mohan Baidya during his informal talks with CPN-UML senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal and Nepali Congress (NC) President Sushil Koirala on Friday said that they would participate in the polls only if the current non-political government led by Khil Raj Regmi is dissolved, election is deferred and fully proportional electoral system is adopted. [break]
While addressing the party´s Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Friday afternoon, Koirala had briefed the CWC members on the three new demands put forth by Baidya during an informal meeting held earlier in the morning. “We agreed in principle to hold a roundtable political conference after the alliance assured of participation in the November 19 polls. But now they have come up with new demands not included in their 18-point demands,” Koirala had briefed in the meeting.
Koirala appeared less optimistic after the Friday´s meeting. “Koirala appeared disappointed after the Baidya-led alliance put forth new conditions. He only said that efforts were under way to bring them onboard the election process,” CWC member Gagan Thapa told Republica.
“Though they had made an informal demand for deferral of the election date, they had not demanded fully proportional electoral system and dissolution of the Regmi-led government. This indicates they are clearly trying to foil the November polls,” argued a NC leader involved in the negotiations.
Though CWC member Surendra Pandey stood for deferral of election date and Gagan Thapa for fully proportional electoral system if that helps brings Baidya-led alliance on board the election process, other CWC members were against deferral of election and fully proportional electoral system.
Koirala, who is also the coordinator of HLPC, had later called an HLPC meeting later in the evening. The meeting held at New Baneshwar concluded that a roundtable would be held only if the Baidya-led alliance agrees to go for election under the Regmi-led government. “We have decided to hold roundtable meeting only on condition that the polls would be held on the scheduled date of November 19,” NC leader Arjun Narasingh KC told the media after the meeting.
The meeting had reviewed the progress made in talks with Baidya-led alliance and discussed ways ahead. The parties represented in HLPC have concluded that election must be held on the scheduled date.
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