INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, MAY 6Top leaders of the ruling coalition urged their party cadres to vote for coalition leaders in the
Ruling coalition parties issue joint appeal, vow to cooperate in elections
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Addressing an election campaign programme here today, CPN-MC Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal
said that all major political gains were made on the basis of the alliance between democratic and left forces, hence party cadres should not
hesitate voting in favour of the coalition partners.
"Those who have been voting for sickle and hammer election symbol
should now vote for tree symbol and vice versa," Dahal said
He, however, said that there were some hardliners in the constituents of current coalition who were averse to the idea of voting for a
different party symbol but their attitude would not help the cause of current coalition.He said the fall of Panchayat system and signing of
the comprehensive peace accord were possible only because of the unity between the democratic and communist forces.Dahal said that he forged
unity with the KP Sharma Oliled party in order to pursue the goals of socialism but within two weeks of the signing of unity deal he
realised that Oli was not sincere to the deal
Dahal said Oli dissolved the House of Representatives and when he and Madhav Kumar Nepal mustered majority in the party and rendered Oli in
minority.Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba said that under the current constitution, no single party could win comfortable majority and
hence entering a coalition politics was a compulsion now
He said his parties recently held National Convention and the Central Working Committee had decided to keep the current coalition intact and
yet some leaders were speaking against poll alliance between the ruling coalition partners.He said NC candidate for mayor of Kathmandu
metropolis Sirjana Singh was a competent and able candidate and people should not dismiss her ability just because she is the wife of NC
Deuba said that unity of communist and democratic forces had heralded great changes in the country and there was need for maintaining the
current coalition.Senior NC leader Ram Chandra Paudel said there were two coalitions in the country and the current ruling coalition was the
progressive coalition countering the moves of another coalition that had regressive agenda
He said the ruling coalition should be further strengthened to protect democracy.Chair of CPN (Unified Socialist) Madhav Kumar Nepal said
that the current coalition was formed against the KP Sharma Oli government's attempt to sabotage the constitution.He said the candidates for
the executive body of Kathmandu metropolis should pledge to better the infrastructure of the capital city
Nepal said that the candidates from coalition partners should assure the voters that they would ensure good governance and they would not
indulge in corrupt behaviours.Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal leader Rajendra Shrestha said that the danger of regression still lurked in the
country.He said the coalition partners should try to ensure good governance by honestly implementing federalism.Rastriya Janamorcha leader
Chitra Bahadur KC said that the coalition partners were hopeful of NC leader Sirjana Singh's victory in the mayoral race
He said keeping the current coalition was the need of the hour
"It is not necessary for the partners of the ruling coalition to agree on all issues.We can have differences on certain issues and yet we
can be coalition partners," KC said adding that his party opposed the Millennium Challenge Corporation deal while other partners endorsed
the deal.NC mayoral candidate for KMC Sirjana Singh said if she won the elections, she would develop Kathmandu as a city of major tourist
attraction and also as a business hub.A version of this article appears in the print on May 07, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com