Demand for Regmi to quit ploy to foil polls, says Nepal leader

Demanding the resignation of head of Nepal's interim election government at this point of time is a conspiracy to foil the Constituent Assembly polls planned for November, a senior Madhesi leader today said.
"It is totally irrelevant to ask for resignation of Chief Justice and head of government Khil Raj Regmi at this point of time and the demand by some political parties for him to step down is a conspiracy to foil the November polls," President of Sadbhawana Party Rajendra Mahato said.
CPN-Maoist, the break-away faction of Unified CPN-Maoist, and some other fringe parties are demanding replacement of the incumbent election government led by Regmi with a new government under political leadership and have refused to participate in the elections under the current system.

"The government should hold talks with the disgruntled parties which have been opposing the announcement of the polls as well as the underground outfits which had taken up arms," Mahato said.
"However, there is no question of dislodging this government if we are sincerely hoping to conduct Constituent Assembly polls in November," he pointed out.
The long-delayed Constituent Assembly elections in Nepal will be held on November 19, the interim government announced last week.

Mahato also asked the government to make full preparations including updating voters' list and delineating constituencies at the earliest for conducting polls on time.
"Only announcement of the election date will not ensure that election will be conducted on time," he maintained.

Nepal had plunged into a political and constitutional crisis after the constituent assembly was dissolved without promulgating the constitution last year and the fresh elections to be held in November, 2012, did not take place, pushing the country into a political deadlock.
With the formation of the interim election government led by Regmi in March, the political parties had tentatively agreed to conduct the elections in June or by December.