The toughest issue in Nepali politics in recent years has been reaching a solution on the demarcation of federal boundaries that is acceptable to both the ruling parties and the Madhesi parties. This is the key issue that has continued to bedevil Nepali politics ever since the first Constituent Assembly. 

Successive governments have come into place promising to resolve this issue, but this has proven more difficult than expected; political leaders have lost focus and moved on to other issues. This exact scenario played out after the current government came to power as well. The CPN (Maoist Centre) and the Nepali Congress promised that they would reach a negotiated solution with Madhesi groups. But this took much longer than expected, and along the way, they got distracted by other issues, not least the impeachment of Lokman Singh Karki. 

Now, however, there are some signs that the government is tantalisingly close to a deal with the Madhesi parties. There seems to be a comprehensive agreement brewing on four issues: provincial boundaries, citizenship, representation in the upper house and recognition of languages spoken by the Madhesis and Janajatis. 

Still, it is too early to be hopeful. Deals that had very nearly been reached have fallen apart on numerous occasions in the past, and there is no guarantee that it will be any different this time. 

In addition, it is unclear how the two sides plan to resolve the issue of federal demarcation. So far we know that the two sides have agreed to divide the hills and plains sections of Province 5. But at least publicly, the two sides have not budged on their positions regarding the three disputed districts in the East (Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari) and the two in the West (Kanchanpur and Kailali). The ruling parties continue to insist that they should remain part of Provinces 1 and 7 respectively, whereas the Madhesi parties want at least a portion of these districts to be incorporated into Provinces 2 and 6. 

There can be no two ways about it; in order to resolve this issue, one of the two sides will have to compromise on their initial position. Whatever the parties have said in public so far, we hope that in private they have demonstrated a willingness to compromise. They should recognise that the entire nation has been held hostage to this issue for far too long. Intransigence on this issue has proven self-destructive. It would benefit all parties and people to move on and begin discussing other issues crucial for the future of this nation, hold fresh elections and implement the constitution.