As Nepal’s major political parties are split between the agenda of reinstating the dissolved House of Representatives and holding the parliamentary elections on March 5, Nepali Communist Party (NCP) coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Saturday reiterated that fresh election is the only viable option.

While lawmakers from the two largest parties of the dissolved House—the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML—have separately petitioned the Supreme Court for restoring Parliament, other major political parties have strongly lobbied for elections.

Dahal’s CPN (Maoist Centre), which was the third-largest in the dissolved House, and the CPN (Unified Socialist) led by Madhav Kumar Nepal, along with half a dozen left groups, merged to form the Nepali Communist Party in the first week of November.

Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), the fourth-largest in the dissolved House, also has clearly stood for the March polls.

“The elections scheduled for March 5 must be held on the date. For now, the election is the most straightforward way for the country,” Dahal said, addressing the ‘unity rally’ involving the eight parties that merged. “No one should attempt to derail the election process.”

Some parties’ move to the court seeking reinstatement of the House has confused people, Dahal said, adding that people want elections.

UML, the second largest party in the dissolved House, is most critical of the House dissolution, calling it an unconstitutional move by President Ramchandra Paudel.

Upon the recommendation of interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki, Paduel dissolved the House on September 12 in the heat of the Gen Z movement that saw violent protests across the country.

At least 77 people lost lives following the protests of September 8 and 9. The Karki administration has the mandate to conduct the snap polls on March 5. A meeting of the dissolved parliamentary party of the UML on November 18 concluded that there is no alternative to the restoration of Parliament.

Mahesh Bartaula, UML chief whip in the dissolved House, reiterated on Saturday that House restoration is the most legitimate way to bring the political course on the right track.

Meanwhile, Rabi Lamichhane, the RSP president who got freed on bail on Friday in a cooperative fraud case, has spoken strongly in favour of the March elections. Though the RSP had taken a pro-election stance right from the beginning, which the party chief reiterated a day after his release from judicial custody.

“Brighten your face, prime minister; the RSP is with you,” Lamichhane told a mass meeting on Saturday in his home district of Chitwan. “The RSP is with you when it comes to holding the elections on time.”

The two parties forming the KP Sharma Oli-led coalition government until the Gen Z movement are pushing for the restoration of Parliament while those in its opposition root for the elections. This signals that those supporting the March 5 election assume the election will benefit them, said Puranjan Acharya, a political analyst.

“Priorities of election and restoration of Parliament seem to be based on the advantage or disadvantage the election could bring to a party,” Acharya said.

The Congress and the UML are in a difficult position as they were the main targets of the September youth revolt. Leftist political analyst Bhim Bhutel also believes that both NCP and RSP believe that the March elections can tip the balance in their favour.

In Saturday’s rally, Dahal said that Gen Z does not belong to any group but represents various sections of society.

Urging people not to misread Gen Z for the age group, Dahal argued, “Who is right and who is wrong is determined by agenda and ideology, not by age.”

Communists often talk about three in one—the young, the adult and the elderly, Dahal said. “Society is built when everyone works together. Society moves forward as a combination of young and mature people.”

Madhav Kumar Nepal, co-coordinator of the party, sought public support in favour of the newly unified party.

“If the people place their trust in us and make us victorious in the elections, if they give us a majority, our real test will begin. It will be a test of whether or not we move forward with honesty to fulfil people’s aspirations,” Nepal said.

He called the issues raised by the Gen Z legitimate, nodding to thousands of youths who are NCP members.