Bhattarai is expected to submit the report to CA Chairman Subas Nembang on Thursday after a final consultation with top leaders of the ruling parties on the language and terms of the report. According to cross-party leaders, Bhattarai will incorporate a joint proposal of ruling parties in his report along with the position of other parties represented in the CA.

Acknowledging the responsibility entrusted on him, Bhattarai has assured that he will take a decision maintaining “political neutrality”.

Earlier in the day, the three parties agreed in principle not to put the contentious issues of the new constitution to the vote as proposed by the ruling parties.

The meeting also authorised Bhattarai to prepare a report and submit it to Nembang. “I will submit the report taking the top leaders of major parties into confidence and broader consensus,” Bhattarai told reporters after the PDCC meeting.

During his visit to Nepal to attend the 18th Saarc Summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had suggested Nepal’s political parties to follow the path of consensus on constitution drafting instead of a majority process.  

The cross-party agreement was also endorsed by the UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led 22-party alliance following a meeting later in the day.

Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal (RPP-N)—the fourth largest political force—has however expressed displeasure at the agreement, saying that it would only prolong the deadlock. The RPP-N is in favour of initiating the process of preparing a questionnaire on the disputed issues for voting in the CA.

Amid these conflicting views, there are doubts that the statute drafting process could come out of the deadlock. The opposition parties say that the CA will again instruct PDCC to forge consensus on contentious issues.

The ruling party leaders, however, rule out that suggestion saying that the PDCC had already failed to resolve the disputed issues.

The discussion on substance of new constitution has been stalled after the parties were engaged in procedural aspects of the constitution. Of late, cross-party talks have been diverted to power-sharing issues, putting the constitution drafting process in the shade.

With a wider division still existing on federalism, forms of government, judiciary and electoral system, leaders say, the new constitution can only be promulgated within January 22 if the parties settle all the disputes and agree to fast-track the process.