Though the government authorities are reiterating that the dates for municipal polls will be announced shortly after the Dashain festival, two largest political parties said that they would boycott municipal polls to be announced by the present government.
Chiefs of the two political parties said that elections held without addressing the fundamental political issues would not solve the problems dogging the country but further complicate them.
Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala said that participation in the elections would be the suicidal move for the parties, leaving all political conflicts unsettled.
“The poll card was a ploy to prolong the current autocratic and unconstitutional royal regime,” Koirala said during his meeting with EU Troika on Wednesday.
General Secretary of CPN-UML Madhav Kumar Nepal said, “The alliance of seven political parties will boycott all elections to be declared by the royal government,” according to reports.
Nepal was of the view that election talk was a conspiracy of the government to confuse the international community.
The alliance of agitating seven political parties are demanding for the reinstatement of the dissolved parliament saying free and fair elections are not possible for the time being and have decided to boycott any elections announced by the government.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Dan Bahadur Shahi has said that the government will hold elections even if the mainstream political parties boycott it.
Talking to journalists on Wednesday, Home Minister Shahi said that all parties are free to take part in the elections but the elections will be held even if they did not take part in it.
He informed that the government will announce the dates for municipal polls in between the Dashain and Tihar festival.
Earlier Chief Election Commissioner Kesahvraj Rajbhandari said municipal polls would be held soon even if mainstream political parties boycotted it.
In his message to the nation on the occasion of Nepali new-year, the King commanded the Election Commission to conduct municipal elections under the local bodies within this Nepali year saying the law and order situation was improving.