A much awaited meeting between the chairmen of the CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Centre) did not take place on Tuesday after Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal wanted to hold a consultation with his party colleagues first.

However, the two leaders are preparing to chart out a plan for merger between the two leftist forces on Wednesday. A meeting of the party unification coordination committee, said to be held later in the day, is expected to take up issues of government formation too.

Dahal’s personal assistant Jokh Bahadur Mahara said the party chairman would meet UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli after discussing issues in his party.

On Monday, leaders of the left allies had said the duo would hold one-to-one dialogue as soon as Dahal returns to Kathmandu from Chitwan.

UML Standing Committee member Shanker Pokharel said the two leaders would first reach an understanding on the basis of which the party unity coordination committee would chart out a detailed plan for unification and government formation.

Dahal’s five-day stay outside Kathmandu prompted speculations while Oli’s meeting with Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav has created ripples.