The ruling CPN (Maoist Centre), which contested the local polls forming alliance with the Nepali Congress in dozens of local bodies, has said it is open to similar alliances with other parties in the upcoming elections.

The party’s headquarters meeting on Monday decided to opt for an alliance, primarily with the CPN-UML, in both the federal parliament and provincial elections scheduled for November 26 and December 7. 

The third largest party in Parliament has formed a three-member committee, comprising party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, party’s headquarters member duo Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Ram Bahadur Thapa, to decide on the matter.

The committee will also start dialogue with the UML for the purpose. With the two elections closing in, the two communist forces have intensified negotiations for such an alliance.

“The chairman led committee will decide both on the possible alliance after negotiations,” party Spokesperson Pampha Bhusal told the Post after the meeting.

“There will be dialogue with the UML for a merger,” she said, “if that fails the parties will then opt for the polls alliance”.

Bhusal added that the poll alliance could be formed with other parties along with the UML. The party has decided to evaluate its strengths and weaknesses going into each electoral constituencies and form alliances accordingly. 

The second-rung leaders from both the parties are working on bringing the two forces together.

On Sunday, influential party leader Barsha Man Pun said that the Maoist Centre was open to a merger with the UML not just in forming a poll alliance.

According to Bhusal, the meeting also discussed about selection of candidates for both the elections but no concrete decision has been taken to this effect.

The party has directed all its district committees to recommend the names of candidates for electoral constituencies from the respective districts. 

So far, only District Committee Rolpa has announced Pun as the first-past-the-post (FPTP) candidate from the district, with Speaker Onasari Gharti and former minister Jayapuri Gharti being recommended as the candidates for the proportional seats for the central parliament.

The district committee has also recommended Jog Bahadur Mahara and Dipendra Pun Magar for provincial assembly election on the FPTP. 

The party’s standing committee will take a final decision based on the recommendations from the respective districts.

The Election Commission has fixed October 20 as the date for filing candidacy for the first phase of elections scheduled for November 26.