As the Maoists have rejoined the government, pressure for meeting the polling date set for mid-April was building up in political circles in Nepal. Baburam Bhattarai’s latest stance on threatening to quit if the polls were not held on time, make the forthcoming months a substantive challenge for Nepali politics. The Maoists have also reprimanded the cabinet’s decision to allow the construction of hydro-power projects asserting that such decisions of “national importance” should only be made after a consensus has been achieved1.

Meanwhile, Madhav Kumar Nepal, stating that the end of monarchy would be formally announced after the constituent assembly polls, invited the Madhesi Janadhikaar Forum to come to the negotiating table and called for the implementation of the tripartite agreement between the Madhesis, Janjatis and the Government of Nepal2. Rajendra Mahato, leader of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) also raised the issue of recognizing the rights of Madhesis, claiming it to be a primary precondition for his party to participate in the forthcoming polls3.

• 1. “Poll date in next cabinet meet, assures Koirala”, The Himalayan Times, January 1, 2007, at http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullstory.asp?filename=6a1Qa2ujo2am8&fo...
• 2. “CA Poll Date Within a Week: Madhav Nepal,” The Himalayan Times, January 4, 2007, at http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullstory.asp?filename=6a1Qa3rgo2am8&fo...
• 3. “Participation in election only after ensuring rights for Madheshis”, SATP, January 5, 2007, at http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/search_news.asp?currentpage=138&date1=2000...