Leader of the Netra Bikram Chand led CPN Khadga Bahadur Bishwokarma has met Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand on Friday.
The meeting focused on the party participation in the local election to be held on May 13.
The party's central committee meeting held in March had decided to not participate in the local election but Bishwokarma has been meeting Election Commission officials and ministers recently to discuss about election participation.
Bishwokarma told Minister Khand that the party is positive about participating in the election but demanded that the party's jailed leaders and cadres should be released first for that. Khand replied that the government has initiated process to withdraw cases that can be withdrawn in accordance to the law.
Chand led CPN had signed a three-point agreement with the government led by KP Sharma Oli on March 4, 2021 after going underground to wage armed insurgency.
A press note issued by the talk team of both the sides had stated that the ‘Chand led CPN will carry out all its political activities peacefully and seek to resolve all political issues through dialogue while the government will revoke the ban on the party's activities, release all the arrested party leaders and cadres, and withdraw the cases against them.’
Chand has been repeatedly meeting different leaders for implementation of the agreement.
Chand, who participated in the split of Pushpa Kamal Dahal led Maoist party under Mohan Baidya in June 2012, had quit Baidya’s party two years later announcing to lead a rebellion. Chand has even been criticized inside the party for not justifying splitting of the party in the name of revolution.
There are efforts for unification of the Chand led CPN with CPN (Maoist Center) after the party signed the deal with government last year. Maoist Center leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara has been making efforts for that and has met Chand multiple times for that.
Chand and Bishwokarma, however, differ on the issue of party unification. Bishwokarma reportedly wants to unify with CPN-UML. Chand apparently has told him that the two should remain together irrespective of the party they unify with.
Chand is said to favor unification with Maoist Center but a few leaders in the Maoist party are reportedly not ready for that.
