President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Thursday called Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party Chairman Mahantha Thakur and leader Sarbendra Nath Shukla to discuss contemporary politics.

According to President Bhandari’s personal secretary Bhesh Raj Adhikari, the Head of State also held talks with three second-rung leaders of major parties—Krishna Sitaula of the Nepali Congress, Narayan Kaji Shrestha of the CPN (Maoist Centre) and Bhim Rawal of the CPN-UML.

The talks basically focused on the political deadlock, and the President urged all the leaders to find a way out at the earliest so that the country could head towards elections, said Adhikari.

Thursday’s meeting follows President Bhandari’s talks with NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba and UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli on Wednesday when she had drawn the two leaders’ attention to impending constitutional crisis.

The UML is pressing for declaring poll dates while the Madhes-based parties have been saying they will not participate in the elections until the statute amendment bill is endorsed by Parliament.