By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Jan. 12: Leaders of the Prachanda-Nepal faction of Nepal Communist Party (NCP) on Monday appealed to the Election Commission to suspend ongoing preparations for the mid-term elections until the Supreme Court (SC) gives its verdict on the dissolution of House of Representatives.
Chairman duo of the faction, Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and Madhav Kumar Nepal, reached the head office of Election Commission (EC) asking it to halt the ongoing preparation for the mid-term elections scheduled for April 30 and May 10, Narayan Kaji Shrestha, party spokesperson, said.
Chairmen Prachanda and Nepal advised the EC that it stop its preparations for the mid-term election, as petitions filed against the dissolution of the House of Representatives are sub-judice at the Supreme Court, he added.
The meeting was also attended by leaders of the faction Surendra Pandey, Leela Mani Pokharel and Ram Narayan Bidari, among others.
The party leaders opined that the EC’s preparations could affect the hearing on the petition registered against the parliament dissolution at the Supreme Court, said EC’s Spokesperson Raj Kumar Shrestha. “The leaders have asked EC to suspend the preparations being made for the polls.”
The commission, however, rejected the appeal of Prachanda-Nepal faction, stating that the EC had to start its preparations once the government announced the election date.
The officials of the commission clarified the leaders that the EC couldn’t suspend its preparations when the government had already announced the election dates, said Shrestha.
The election process would not be suspended unless the SC orders to stop it and the government directs the commission to do so, he added.
President Bidya Devi Bhandari had dissolved the House of Representatives (HoR) on December 20, 2020 on the recommendation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and announced the mid-term election for April-May, 2021.
The Supreme Court is currently hearing a dozen petitions filed challenging the constitutionality of the House dissolution.
The Prachanda-Nepal faction has been organising a nation-wide agitation against the Prime Minister’s decision to dissolve the HoR terming his decision as unconstitutional and undemocratic.