Kathmandu: CPN (UML) Chairman KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress Acting President Purna Bahadur Khadka held a high-level meeting on Monday to discuss coordination for the upcoming National Assembly elections. The meeting took place from 9 am to 11 am at Oli’s residence in Gundu, Bhaktapur.
Acting President Khadka arrived in Gundu accompanied by Nepali Congress leader Ramesh Lekhak. Discussions focused primarily on forging electoral coordination among major political parties for the National Assembly polls scheduled for Magh 11.
According to sources familiar with the talks, the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Nepal Communist Party (NCP), and the Upendra Yadav-led Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) have reached a preliminary understanding to coordinate in the elections. A tentative framework for seat sharing was also discussed during the meeting.
As per the informal agreement, out of 18 seats to be contested in the National Assembly, the Nepali Congress is set to receive seven seats, the UML six seats, the NCP four seats, and the JSP one seat. However, the Congress has put forward a condition that its candidates must represent all provinces, insisting on at least one seat from each province.
Following the meeting with Oli, Acting President Khadka briefed the Nepali Congress Central Working Committee meeting held at the party office in Sanepa. According to party sources, Khadka informed the committee that although the Congress had initially demanded eight seats, it may need to settle for seven while continuing to push for inclusive provincial representation.
Sources said efforts are underway to finalize consensus among the parties by Tuesday. Earlier, Nepali Congress leaders had also held discussions with NCP coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, who reportedly responded positively to the proposal for joint participation in the National Assembly elections.
On Sunday, UML Chairman Oli and Prachanda had also met in Lalitpur, where they discussed the possibility of coordinated participation in the elections and broader political understanding.
Meanwhile, the Nepali Congress Central Working Committee meeting chaired by Khadka is ongoing in Sanepa, with discussions centered on the National Assembly elections and preparations for the party’s general convention.
