KATHMANDU, April 1: As the local poll nears, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) General Secretary Dr Dhawal Shamsher Rana have discussed the possibility of an electoral collaboration between the two parties for the local, provincial and federal polls.
On their way back from Karnali, UML Chairman Oli and RPP General Secretary Rana met in Nepalgunj on Thursday night. During the meeting, the overall political situation and election issues were discussed.
According to RPP Assistant General Secretary Rishi Raj Devkota, discussions were held on possible electoral coordination between UML and RPP after the formation of a five-party alliance including Nepali Congress and CPN (Maoist Center).
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"Preliminary discussions have started between the UML and the RPP on electoral coordination," he said. "The discussions so far are positive."
According to him, the discussion was focused not only on local level elections but also on the federal and provincial elections. He said that even before this, the second tier leaders of UML and RPP had discussed the possibility of electoral collaboration between the two parties.
However, he said that this was the first discussion with the UML chairman on the issue. “Discussions between UML and RPP have now started. they will continue," he said. “It is not uncommon for parties outside the government to have an electoral alliance.”
During the discussion, the UML chairperson said that he would brief the party on the issue, while RPP General Secretary Rana also said that the dialogue on the issue should continue. According to RPP Assistant General Secretary Devkota, the UML leaders in Banke had urged Rana along with Oli, who is also a former prime minister, to consider forming an electoral alliance between the two parties.
Rana is also the mayor of Nepalgunj.