The Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM), an alliance of seven Madhes-based parties, on Thursday said it was ready to support the local elections as long as they were held after amendment of the constitution. The regional parties have also demanded a ‘larger political deal’ on the local boundaries before going to the elections. 

Morcha’s response comes a day after the governing Nepali Congress and CPN (Maoist Centre) reached ‘an understanding’ with the main opposition, CPN-UML, to hold the polls under the new federal setup. Despite UML’s nod to the elections, Madhesi parties’ position is likely to pose a challenge to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal in turning his poll plan into a success. 

Despite expressing readiness to table the bill in Parliament for discussion, the government remains non-committal to its endorsement due to growing opposition from the UML which has left the House paralysed for a month.

Following an internal meeting on Tuesday, Morcha leaders clarified that they were not against the local polls. “We are only telling major parties not to rush for elections without resolving the crisis. We also want to take part in the elections,” said Sadbhawana Party Chairman Rajendra Mahato. “But the constitution should be amended first. Going to local polls putting the bill on hold would deepen the crisis.”

He urged both the governing parties and the main opposition UML to support the elections to end the political uncertainty and prevent the country from going into another conflict. 

Besides demanding amendment of the constitution, SLMM meeting on Tuesday called for ‘a package deal’ on local boundaries, describing the proposed report of the Local Level Restructuring Commission (LLRC) as incomplete and biased against the Madhesi constituencies. 

Amid diminishing signs of consensus on the constitution amendment before the local elections, a section of the Morcha leadership is making a fresh push to increase the number of federal units in the Tarai. 

The LLRC, which was formed to determine the number and boundaries of village units, municipalities, and specially protected or autonomous zones, has recommended forming between 720-730 local units. Based on recommendation of the Local Level Restructuring Technical Committees, the commission has proposed around 190 local units in the Tarai, around 76 for eight districts in Province 2. 

The Madhesi parties had boycotted the consultation meeting organised by the technical committees, accusing the LLRC of not adhering to norms and values of the state restructuring and federalism while redrawing the map of the local boundaries. 

“The report hasn’t even taken into consideration the terms of reference (ToR). It was supposed to recommend on the formation of the protected areas, autonomous zones and special areas. But that hasn’t happened,” said TMLP Vice-chair Brikesh Chandra Lal. Though the Morcha has not made its position public on the demarcation of local boundaries, some leaders said that the population should be a basis to decide the number of local setups.

Morcha leaders are expected to meet again on Friday to decide its immediate and long-term strategies. A leader said the meeting was extended after Sanghiya Samajwadi Forum Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav, who coordinates a larger alliance of Madhesi and Janajati forces, could not attend the meeting due to a previously decided programme.