The three-party meeting called by Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba has started at his residence in Budhanilkantha Friday afternoon.
Deuba has called the meeting of NC, CPN (Maoist Center) and Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) to discuss formation of a new ruling alliance.
The main opposition party demanded resignation of Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli and decided to take initiative to form new government under the party through the central committee meeting last Friday.
Deuba has called the meeting amidst criticism both within the party and without about not taking initiative to form the next government even after the decision.
Maoist Center Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and leaders including Narayan Kaji Shrestha, JSP Chairmen Mahantha Thakur, Upendra Yadav and Baburam Bhattarai, and Senior Leader of NC Ram Chandra Paudel, Vice-president Bimalendra Nidhi, General Secretary Purna Bahadur Khadka, former general secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula and others are attending the meeting.
The three top JSP leaders, meanwhile, met before heading for the three-party meeting. The meeting called on initiation of Bhattarai discussed about moving forward together.
JSP is currently divided on whether to support Oli or not. JSP leaders Baburam Bhattarai and Upendra Yadav, coming from erstwhile Federal Socialist Forum Nepal, have publicly demanded toppling of Oli government while leaders from the erstwhile Rastriya Janata Party like Thakur and Rajendra Mahato are negotiating with Oli. Erstwhile RJP leaders themselves are also not united in support of Oli with leaders like Mahendra Raya Yadav vehemently against that.
