The two constituents of the left alliance, CPN-UML and the CPN (Maoist Centre) are preparing for party unity at the earliest, with leaders claiming to have sorted their major ideological differences.

UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, however, clarified on Sunday that the two parties would not declare unification on November 25, a day before the first phase of federal and provincial polls, as rumoured.

The two leftist parties have entered into an alliance for the upcoming elections scheduled for November 26 and December 7.

When the two parties announced the decision last month, second rung leaders of the Maoist Centre were for unifying the two parties only after a thorough discussion on ideological issues. But a top leader involved in negotiations claimed that they have already resolved major ideological issues while some other matters would be settled after unification.

In order to ensure that the vote bank of both the parties remains intact for the common candidates of the UML and the Maoist Centre, leaders say the two parties would be merged right after the polls. “We are for unity at the earliest,” Narayan Kaji Shrestha told the Post on telephone from Gorkha. He said unification of the two parties would not go beyond a month or two after formation of a new government.

UML Vice-chairman Yubaraj Gyawali, however, claimed that the two parties could unite even before formation of the new government after the polls.

According to Shrestha, the major political line of the two parties was already defined—safeguarding national independence, implementation and promotion of the constitution, forming government through peaceful competition, socio-economic transformation, economic prosperity and social justice as the basis for socialism, which would guide the party for several years.

On the strategic line, the two parties have agreed not to deviate from Marxism and were clear that only a unified communist party can lead the change and establish socialism in the country.

Maoist Centre Chair Dahal in Chitwan and UML Vice-chair Gyawali in Kathmandu told during their separate campaigns that the two parties would have been united had the polls been scheduled 10 days later.

“We were preparing to contest the polls with the same election symbol by declaring party unification if the polls were delayed by 10 days,” Dahal told a gathering at Bharatpur Metropolis-9 in Chitwan on Friday.

Leaders of both the parties believe that joint election campaigns have helped resolve the differences between the two party organisations, which would ultimately ease the unification process.