A four-month long merger negotiations between Naya Shakti Party Nepal (NSPN) and Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal (SSF-N) has been stalled after the leaders from both parties wanted some more time for homework and hold the meetings of their central bodies.

A meeting between the leaders of the two parties, including Baburam Bhattarai of NSPN and Upendra Yadav of SSF-N, on Sunday agreed to shelve the talks for the time being, NSPN leader Ganga Shrestha said.

“The two parties need to hold their central bodies’ meetings as well as do their homework for the merger talks, so the top leaders have agreed to stall the talks for now,” he said.

Bhattarai has called for the party’s central working committee meeting on Monday and Tuesday and Federal Council meeting to follow.

The NSPN and the SSF-N were expected to announce an important decision concerning their merger on Sunday, but the senior leaders from the two parties ultimately decided not to rush the matter. 

Some NSPN leaders say the unification talks had to be put on a hold because Bhattarai had been advised that a rushed decision to join forces with the SSF-N could prove harmful for him as well as other party leaders. 

It is noteworthy that the merger talks between NSPN and SSF-N has halted just when the CPN (Maoist Centre), Bhattarai’s former party, is reportedly planning on a unification talks with the NSPN.