The Madhes-based parties have maintained that the recommendation of the CDC goes against not only the recent ruling of the Supreme Court that fresh constituencies should be delineated in line with population numbers, but also the relevent constitutional provision and the past political agreement reached with the Madhesi parties to increase the number of election constituencies in line with changes in population. [break]
The Madhes-based parties have maintained that the Tarai-Madhes should have 51 percent of the total of 240 seats allocated under the First Past the Post (FPTP) election, in keeping with the latest census in 2011. “This has negatively affected the election environment in the country,” Chairman of Madhesi People´s Rights Forum-Nepal (MPRF-N) Upendra Yadav told Republica.
The CDC report has not sought any changes in the number of election constituencies, but has instead set a flat population threshold of 112,000 for Tarai-Madhes and the Hill and Mountain regions alike.
Yadav also expressed surprise over the decision of the CDC to submit its report with such a recommendation at a time when they are sitting for talks with the High Level Political Committee (HLPC) over their demand to delineate election constituencies on the basis of the latest census. He said that they won´t take part in the election unless the election constituencies are delineated as per changes in the population shown by the 2011 census.
Issuing a separate statement, Nepal Sadbhawana Party (NSP) has urged Chairman of the Interim Election Council Khil Raj Regmi not to endorse the report and instead forward it to the Election Commission (EC) for a review of the recommendation.
NSP Chairperson Sarita Giri, while alleging that the top leaderships of the parties in the High Level Political Committee (HLPC) are not serious about the demands of Madhesi people, has demanded that fresh constituencies be delineated as per the latest census.
In a separate statement, Coordinator of Tarai Madhes National Campaign J P Gupta has argued that the recommendation of the CDC has exposed the state´s unitary tendency and regressive character.
Gupta, who was released from jail recently after serving a term for graft, said the report has dashed the hopes of various marginalized communities including Madhesi people that they would be having better representation and that a new CA would promulgate a statute that provides for state restructuring.
Gupta has also slammed the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF), which was actively involved in bringing about the 25-point amendment to the Interim Constitution, for not pushing the Madhesi agenda hard enough.
“This status quoist report of the Ansari-led commission has posed a serious threat to the country´s unity. The Tarai Madhes National Campaign strongly demands that the Nepal government reject the report and take a decision to improve on it,” said the statement.
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