With the date for the upcoming local elections approaching, the political parties have started gearing up for the polls. After holding necessary consultations with the Election Commission of Nepal (ECN) and other stakeholders, the government has already announced May 13 as the date for the local polls. As solicited by the ECN, as many as 80 different political parties have registered at the election body. With the adoption of the federal system of governance, local governments are now so powerful that they can exercise executive, legislative and judicial powers. The local polls are instrumental in strengthening the grassroots democracy as the parties and their leaders compete with one another to win the hearts and minds of people. The local levels can play a crucial role in making the service delivery system more efficient and carrying out different development activities in a sustainable manner.

The ruling Nepali Congress (NC) has, according to a new report carried by this daily the other day, come forward with a month-long election campaign focussing on the local elections. The canvassing is going to take place in all the 77 districts across the nation from March 13 to April 12. NC spokesperson Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat Wednesday said that its central leaders are visiting every household during the first phase of the election campaign. With the slogan of 'Go Door To Door, Make NC Victorious', the party is set to reach out to the people and talk to them about all the issues, including the attainments made so far. NC leaders will also receive the people's feedback and move ahead accordingly.

Although the NC-led government had held the three-tier elections (local, provincial and federal) in 2017, the party suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the then Left Alliance comprising the CPN-UML and the CPN-Maoist Centre. However, with the fresh holding of its general convention successfully, the NC now appears to be in an advantageous position. The party has become stronger after having resolved all the internal feuds. The NC is devising a strategy to go to the local elections with clear views on the people's lives and aspirations. Besides, the split of the Nepal Communist Party into three factions — UML, Maoist Centre and CPN-Unified Socialist — is also expected to be supportive for NC. To capitalise on this scenario, the party is also working to mobilise the provincial committees as well as the entire party rank and file for the polls.

Other major parties, including the main opposition UML, and governing Maoist Centre, Unified Socialist and Janata Samajbadi Party, have also started preparing for the local polls. The NC and other coalition partners are discussing ways to form an electoral alliance. However, they have yet to finalise their plan. NC vice-president Purna Bahadur Khadka has said that his party's Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting would reach a conclusion about forging the electoral alliance with the ruling parties. As the NC worked out a consensus on the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Nepal Compact, it may take a unanimous decision on the electoral alliance as well. Since periodic elections are the lifeblood of democracy, all the political parties must contribute towards holding the polls in a free, fair and fearless manner. They must nominate only qualified, honest and committed candidates for elections so as to help institutionalise federalism, ensure fiscal discipline and expedite development activities.