After several “alternative” political parties merged to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections, the two largest parties in the dissolved House of Representatives have hinted at a possible electoral alliance and may come together in a post-poll coalition after the March election.

But there are several caveats and ideological issues that mitigates against the possibility of the Congress and UML coming together and contesting the elections under a seat-sharing arrangement.

Earlier, there were rumours that after the Rastriya Swatantra Party and Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah (Balen) decided to come together and put forward Shah as a prime ministerial candidate, the Congress and the UML might also jointly contest elections.

On Tuesday, UML chair and immediate past prime minister KP Sharma Oli, whose government was ousted by the Gen Z revolt in September, said there is no alternative to Congress and UML working together “to protect democracy.” Oli led a coalition government of nearly two-thirds majority with Congress.

Though Oli did not clearly mention a pre-poll alliance with the Congress, he stressed the need for the two largest parties to come together.

“Once democracy and peace are restored, the two can go their separate ways, but there must be cooperation between Congress and UML,” Oli said. “Besides Congress and UML, others can’t form the government. Some are dreaming and conspiring for the [prime ministerial] post.”

Meanwhile, sources in the Congress and UML told the Post that initial talks on seat-sharing between the two parties have begun but are yet to take a concrete shape.

Congress chief Sher Bahadur Deuba and Oli have met several times of late and discussed possible working alliance, leaders said.

Before that, the Congress and UML are likely to form an alliance in the National Assembly election scheduled for next month, said a UML leader. Out of 18 vacant National Assembly seats, the UML leader claimed that the two parties may split nine seats each.

Besides these developments, the Congress and UML have filed petitions at the Supreme Court demanding the restoration of the lower house that was dissolved by Sushila Karki, the interim prime minister, on September 12. A majority of Congress and UML lawmakers have moved the top court demanding the restoration of the dissolved parliament.

But UML leader Pradeep Gyawali said he does not see the possibility of the court restoring the lower house.

“If the Congress and UML partnered in the March elections, it will give a huge psychological boost to new forces,” Gyawali said. “It would be seen as us coming together out of fear of these alternative forces.”

Also, according to Gyawali, there is minimal chance of vote transfer between the Congress and UML.

“There are also political reasons that the two parties should not come together,” Gyawali told the Post. “But we can reach some tacit understanding in some electoral constituencies.”

On Tuesday, at a function attended by Oli and other senior UML leaders, Congress leader Min Bahadur Bishwakarma said that the forces that came together to formulate the 2015 constitution now again need to move forward through cooperation.

Bishwakarma stated that his party would cooperate with the UML to uphold the rule of law and good governance, while also engaging in healthy competition during elections.

Hinting at cooperation with the UML, Bishwakarma, who is the chief of the publicity department of the Congress, said, “We fought together during the People’s Movement of 1990, and again in 2006–07. We stood together while drafting the constitution. Now, once again, there is a crisis, and we must stand firm and fight together.”

Even if an understanding is not reached before the elections, the Congress and UML might forge a post-poll alliance, and form the government if no party gains a majority, Bishwakarma added.

Speaking at the same event where Oli and Bishwakarma were guests, UML vice chair and former home minister Ram Bahadur Thapa said that Nepali Congress and the UML can move forward through cooperation by agreeing to an equal seat-sharing arrangement in the elections.

Thapa added that the country is in crisis, so the two parties should form a united front without delay.

“By either restoring parliament or through elections, the Congress and the UML should defeat reactionary forces and steer the country in the right direction,” Thapa said.