Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has claimed that there was a concerted effort not to let the local level elections happen.

In a discussion with former politburo members of the CPN (Maoist Centre), PM Dahal claimed that he resisted extreme pressure while announcing the May 14 polls and he was experiencing a similar situation now.

Dahal told his party colleagues that the rejection of the second constitution amendment proposal by the Madhesi Morcha and the protests of the Naya Shakti Nepal and the ruling Rastriya Prajatantra Party had similar missions of foiling the local level elections.

A Maoist leader said that the PM compared the challenges with the one the parties faced while promulgating the constitution in 2015.

Dahal also suspects the wee-hour tweet of Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi as part of the efforts “not to let the polls take place”. The Maoist chairman, however, claimed that nobody could go against the polls now.

On the rumoured proposal for forming a national government and holding all the three elections under Dahal’s leadership, the PM said it was aimed at aborting the scheduled polls, said Lekhnath Neupane, who is in charge of the Maoist Kathmandu district committee.

Dahal had said that the Morcha’s announcement of stern protests by rejecting their own proposal had made it clear that they would not join the local level polls so there was no need to wait for them.

Leaders including Province 3 in-charge Hitman Shakya, party Spokesperson Pampha Bhusal, Haribol Gajurel, Agni Sapkota and Biswobhakta Dulal were among those present in the meeting.

The party is preparing to announce the candidates for all the 744 local federal units on Saturday, along with the national and local “commitment papers”.

In Kathmandu, the party would organise functions in the 10 municipalities and the metropolis.