Nepali Congress will accommodate CPN-Maoist in new government

The Nepali Congress today said it will try to address the concerns of sulking CPN-Maoist either by providing some seats in the assembly or accommodating them in the high level constitution making body.
The Nepali Congress (NC) will try to address the concern shown by hardliner leader Mohan Vaidya-led CPN-Maoist, which had boycotted the November 19 assembly polls, senior party leader Bimalendra Nidhi said.
"We will try to accommodate the CPN-Maoist either by providing some seats in the Constituent Assembly or accommodating them in the high level constitution making body to be formed shortly," he said.
There is a provision of nominating 26 members in the 601-seat Constituent Assembly by the government on the basis of political consensus, and the dissenting Maoist group may be adjusted if they are ready for that, Nidhi said.

The CPN-Maoist, a breakaway faction of the UCPN-Maoist, and some other fringe political parties had boycotted the polls after their demands seeking resignation of chairman of the Council of Ministers Khil Raj Regmi and deferral of the election date were ignored.
Staking claim of the NC in the government leadership, Nidhi said: "Our priority is to form a consensus government with the inclusion of four major political forces, NC, CPN-UML, UCPN-Maoist and the Madhesi parties.

"If Nepali Congress forms the government under its leadership, our priority will be to draft a constitution within six months period and to promulgate the statute by next year," he said.

NC has emerged as the largest party with 196 seats, but failed to secure an outright majority to form a government on its own.
If no consensus is possible to form a coalition government, we will go for the majority government as per the provision of the Interim Constitution, Nidhi said.
However, he claimed that the formation of a new government will be delayed at least till the end of February.
CPN-UML is the second largest party in the assembly with 175 seats, followed by Prachanda's UCPN-Maoist with 80 seats.