A day after left political forces CPN-UML, CPN (Maoist Centre) and Babu Ram Bhattarai’s Naya Shakti announced an electoral alliance, the ruling party Nepali Congress on Wednesday officially decided to form a democratic alliance for the upcoming provincial and federal parliamentary elections. 

A meeting of NC’s Central Working Committee made such decision today.

The party has concluded that there is no alternative to forming a democratic electoral alliance to counter the left alliance. “Now broader democratic alliance is a need of the hour to strengthen the democratic forces in the country,” said Nepali Congress Central Working Committee member Arjun Narasingh KC.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, also the President of Nepali Congress, said that the NC would hold meeting with Rastriya Janata Party (RJP), Sanghiya Samajwadi Forum Nepal (SSFN), Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and RPP (Prajatantrik) today evening to discuss the formation of an alliance.

NC leader Bimalendra Nidhi said that the NC would put forth the proposal for electoral alliance with all other political parties vying in the elections except UML, Maoist Centre and Naya Shakti.

Most NC leaders present at the CWC meeting opined that the unity of leftist forces is a threat to democracy and underscored the need to form a broader democratic alliance.

“We will finalise with which political parties we want to forge alliance in a couple of days,” said Nidhi, “The recent alliance of UML and Maoist Centre is a communist merger rather than the alliance of leftists and this is not good for the democracy.”

However, RJP General Secretary Manish Suman said that although PM has summoned top leaders of the party, no discussion were made towards the formation of an alliance.

“Our party has always been seeking alliance with those supporting constitution amendment,” said Suman, adding that RJP Nepal’s first priority would be forging alliance with Madhes-centric parties and then with those in favour of constitution amendment.

Also read: UML, MC, Naya Shakti form broad alliance