Parties Vow For Polls

In a welcome step, the three major political parties have pledged to participate in the general elections slated for March next year. They made such a commitment during their meeting with Prime Minister Sushila Karki at her official residence at Baluwatar on Saturday. Prime Minister Karki, for the first time, held a meeting with the chiefs of Nepali Congress (NC), CPN-UML and Nepali Communist Party – Sher Bahadur Deuba, KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda – respectively, with a view to taking them into confidence for the polls. The NC and the UML still appeared ambivalent regarding the March elections announced in the aftermath of the Gen Z revolt in September. 

Lawmakers belonging to the NC and UML have registered a petition at the Supreme Court, seeking the reinstatement of the House of Representatives (HoR). However, NC president Deuba and Oli told the meeting that their parties were ready to go to the polls. This has cleared the air with regard to elections. The major party leaders are particularly concerned about the security during the polls. Still, more than 5,000 inmates who escaped the jails during the Gen Z protest have not returned to the cells. Similarly, hundreds of weapons were looted during the movement and there has been widespread apprehension that these arms could be misused during the polls. But the government has spared no effort to ensure law and order so that the polls are held in a free, fair and fearless atmosphere. 

The Karki-led government was formed with the sole objective of conducting the HoR polls. While addressing the genuine concern of the Gen Z youths, the government has the onus to bring the parties together and hold the polls so that there will be a smooth transition of power. The Gen Z movement sought good governance, accountability and transparency. Organised under the banner of an anti-corruption crusade, the Gen Z revolt led to the collapse of the KP Sharma Oli government. So all forces must receive a fresh mandate in the changed context. The government formed following the polls will have the onus to fulfill the demands of the Gen Z groups. Addressing the meeting of the three-party leaders, PM Karki said that it was the collective responsibility of all to conduct the polls at all costs. 

The government has provided the Election Commission and the police administration with necessary resources, while the morale of the police has increased, said the PM. The country's political climate is getting conducive to the general polls. There has been realignment between the like-minded parties. Meanwhile, on early Saturday morning, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) chairman Rabi Lamichhane and Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra (Balen) Shah inked a seven-point deal with a view to forge electoral alliance.  The two sides have agreed to project Balen as the parliamentary party leader and the prime ministerial candidate, while Rabi will be the head of the party. Balen will be a part of RSP and contest the polls under its election symbol – bell. 

The electoral alliance between the two popular youth leaders will further help create environment for the election. Election is the grand democratic exercise in which the people pick the representatives of their choice. The Gen Z movement has brought drastic change in the political course and the election will provide the rational ground to test the popular sentiments. So all stakeholders must commit to making the elections a grand success.