Leaders of the KP Sharma Oli faction have told the Election Commission that they are ready for election.
The leaders who reached the Election Commission on Friday have asked the Election Commission to intensify election preparations saying they are ready for it.
Talking with reporters after discussing with the Election Commission officials, leader of the Oli faction Subash Chandra Nembang said the Election Commission should not have any problem for preparations as the Supreme Court (SC) has not issued verdict on the case about House dissolution.
"There are still 91-92 days remaining. The Election Commission can hold election in the period. We told that there is no problem for the Election Commission as the court has not issued verdict," Nembang added.
The two factions were told to come with chairman or a representative authorized by the chairman to hold discussion on issuing notice for registration of party for the election and briefing about the preparations for election by the Election Commission.
The Dahal-Nepal faction of CPN, meanwhile, did not participate in the discussion of the two factions convened by the Election Commission.
Leaders of the faction have told the Election Commission that Chairmen Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal are outisde the Kathmandu Valley and therefore cannot even nominate representatives for the discussion.
Dahal and Nepal are outside the Valley for the protest programs that the faction will organize until Sunday. They are attending a program in Biratnagar on Friday.
Secretary at the central office Sriram Dhakal sent a letter to the Election Commission stating that they could not even nominate representatives as the two chairmen are outisde the Valley. "Chairman requests you to organize the discussion at appropriate date and time after January 31," the letter read.
Leaders including Rajendra Pandey and Lila Mani Pokharel returned back from the Election Commission handing over the letter.
The Election Commission has sidestepped the legal resolution of CPN's dispute.
The Election Commission's meeting on Sunday had decided to tell the erstwhile CPN Chairmen KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal that the previous details of the ruling party stand valid. The faction of Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal had removed Oli as chairman and replaced him with Nepal after Oli dissolved the House on December 20 while Oli had removed Dahal as executive chairman and expanded the central committee to 1,500 to manufacture majority in the central committee.
The two factions had informed the Election Commission about those decisions and staked claims for official recognition with the Dahal-Nepal faction arguing that it has support of almost 70 percent of the central committee members at the time of registration with the Election Commission and the Oli faction pointing that the faction that has the top-ranked chairman (Oli) and general secretary (Bishnu Paudel) should get official recognition.
The Election Commission had sought documents from both the factions after the dispute about recognition arose. It had then told both the factions that the decisions taken were not in accordance to the statute.
The Election Commission in this way officially recognized the united party registered with it having Oli and Dahal as two chairmen even as the party has virtually split.
