Nepali Congress to lead ‘democratic alliance’ to counter leftist grouping

Two days after Nepal’s major leftist parties announced the formation of an alliance, the ruling Nepali Congress decided on Thursday to forge a “democratic alliance” for upcoming federal and provincial elections.

The Nepali Congress has started reaching out to likeminded forces to forge the new alliance after feeling the heat from the leftist grouping formed by the CPN-UML and the CPN-Maoist Centre, which is part of the ruling coalition.

The Nepali Congress called on parties with “democratic credentials” to join hands with it for an electoral alliance.

Nepal will hold elections to choose new federal and provincial assemblies on November 26 and December 7. With no party expected to get a majority, politicians of all hues are eyeing mergers and alliances to come to power.

A majority of seats are needed because, after the polls, the country has to elect a president, vice president, prime minister, speaker and deputy speaker as well as chief ministers of the seven provinces. New governments will also have to be formed in the provinces.

A meeting of the central work execution committee of the Nepali Congress, which was chaired by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, concluded that the party realized the need for unity among democratic forces following the unity bid by Communist parties.

Almost all Madhes-based parties, including the Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal (RPPN), Rastriya Janashakti Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Democratic, Federal Socialist Forum Nepal and the Nepal Democratic Forum are expected to join the democratic alliance. Deuba has already held meetings with top leaders of other parties.

The Nepali Congress will also put together a panel to do the homework for creating the “democratic alliance”, party leaders said.

“At a time when the country is heading for a crucial political transition and implementing the new Constitution is a priority, it was not good for the nation to have any kind of political polarisation,” said Nepali congress leader Arjun Narsingh KC.

“A democratic alliance has also become inevitable to institutionalise the federal democratic republic and even for holding elections for the full-fledged implementation of the Constitution,” he said.