Reiterating his commitement to hold local level elections soon, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that the polls will be held even in the old structure if restructuring of the local units is not materialised. 

“The elections will be held at any cost. You have to focus on the local body polls now,” said PM Dahal, who is also the chairman of the CPN (Maoist Centre), in his address to the party activists in Dhangadhi on Thursday. He added that the government was committed to institutionalise republicanism and implement the constitution in the country. 

The PM later went to Darchula in a Nepal Army helicopter and inspected 

the under-construction Chameliya Hydropower Project. Talking to reporters on the project site, Dahal said his government filed the constitution amendment proposal to address the issues of the agitating Madhesi, Tharu and Janajati communities. He repeated his committed to hold talks with political parties to forge a consensus over the statute amendment. He also hinted that the proposal could be revised.

Our correspondent from Bajhang reported that PM Dahal also visited Khaptad National Park. He went to Surkhet after visiting Tribeni area. 

Statute amendment to hold polls, says Deuba

Kathmandu: Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that the constitution amendment proposal was tabled in view of holding three layers of elections.

Speaking at a programme to launch a book written by NC leader Gururaj Ghimire in the Capital on Thursday, Deuba stated that the government tabled the amendment bill for the sake of peace, elections and statute implementation process. “If a slight twitch of federal boundary guarantees timely elections, I think the UML should also support the amendment proposal,” he said. (PR)