Even as Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has been reiterating his commitment to holding the local elections before monsoon, the main opposition CPN-UML has concluded that the government was shying away from the polls. The second largest party would come up with a new strategy to create pressure on the government for timely elections.

PM Dahal seems to have adopted a delay tactic, pressing both the main opposition and the agitating Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha to come to an agreement.

UML Secretary Pradip Gyawali, who is close to Chairman KP Sharma Oli, said his party’s suspicions over the abrupt change in government six months ago had become clear. Right from the toppling of the UML-led government, the main opposition has been claiming that the change in guard was intended to derail the process of implementing the new constitution.

Gyawali said the party would call the meetings of its politburo and standing committee to draw up a strategy to press the ruling coalition to ensure the polls on time.

The politburo meeting scheduled for Monday and Tuesday has been deferred till February 14 as the major leaders are in the districts.

“There must be some pressure on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba as both of them made U-turns from their stance on declaring the poll dates,” he said.

Deputy leader of the UML Parliamentary Party Subas Nembang said the main opposition has no option but to go to the people as the meeting of Parliament has been stalled for long. He criticised the government for shying away from the polls. “One bill is still in the parliamentary committee while some five bills were yet to be registered,” he said.

Forming a taskforce to study the report of the Local Level Restructuring Commission a month after it submitted its recommendations and giving the panel 15 days to furnish its suggestions, writing to the Election Commission to prepare for the polls without specifying the modality and halting the meeting of Parliament for two weeks without consulting with the main opposition are read as indications that the ruling coalition is not much serious about the polls.