Deadlock in Nepal as parties fail to agree on poll date

Hectic efforts have started in Nepal among the government and political parties to hammer out a solution as the country is confronted with yet another deadlock after top leaders failed to agree on a date for holding long-delayed Constituent Assembly elections.
Nepali Congress President�Sushil Koirala�and UCPN-Maoist�chairman Prachanda held a meeting at the former's residence at Maharajgunj today to discuss the current political situation in the country.
They discussed various issues including preparations for the election to the�Constituent Assembly, involving the disgruntled fringe parties in the elections, and fixing the election dates, according to Nepali Congress sources.
Nepal's political parties have tentatively agreed to hold polls in November to draft a constitution.

Koirala, who is also the coordinator of the High-Level Political Mechanism, put forth his views with Prachanda on ways to address the demands of over two dozen fringe parties, which are against holding elections, so as to make them participate in the polls.
Meanwhile, a government team led by Information Minister Madhav Prasad Poudel met with Federal Democratic Forum, an alliance of six political parties that have announced a boycott of the polls.

During the talks, Upendra Yadav, leader of Madhesi Peoples Rights Forum Nepal, demanded resignation of head of election government Khil Raj Regmi from the post of Chief Justice.

Chief Justice Regmi had been appointed head of the government in March through consensus among major parties.
After the talks, Poudel said the government is ready to address most of the 13-point demands put forth by the forum.
Also, dissident political parties including CPN-Maoist that have been protesting the formation of incumbent election government, enforced a two-hour transport strike in front of the office of Election Commission in Kathmandu this morning.
The alliance of the two dozen fringe parties demanded the postponement of party registration process at the Election Commission unless the�11-point agreement reached among the four major parties that led to the formation of the interim government, is scrapped.

� The EC had begun registration of political parties from Tuesday, for the elections.
The alliance has been demanding the formation of a government under political leadership in place of the Chief Justice-led government.