KATHMANDU: Nepal’s main opposition party the Nepali Congress (NC) has decided to vote in favor of the proposed amendment to the constitution.
A meeting of the Central Working Committee of the party held on Saturday decided to that effect.
The meeting instructed the parliamentary party to vote in favor of the proposed bill to amend Appendix 3 related to Article 9 (2) of the Constitution for including an updated map that includes Limpiyadhura, Lipu Lekh and Kalapani.
General Secretary Purna Bahadur Khadka, during the meeting, had floated the proposal to direct the parliamentary party to vote in favor of the updated map of Nepal issued by the government. The proposal was endorsed by the meeting.
Most probably, the amendment bill will be tabled in the parliament on Sunday. With Nepali Congress supporting the bill, it will get two-third majority held mandatory for such amendment.
Earlier, an office-bearer meeting of the party had expressed the party’s solidarity with the government’s stand on the Lipu Lekh, Limpiyadhura, Kalapani dispute and the issuance of the revised map of Nepal.
NC has 63 lawmakers in the House of Representatives.
The main opposition had called the meeting to discuss the constitution amendment bill put forward by the government.
It should be noted that during an all-party meeting convened at the PM’s residence in Baluwatar on Tuesday, NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba had said the party would decide on the issue after holding a meeting of its central working committee.
The government had earlier registered the Constitution amendment bill to amend the schedule of the Constitution as a coat of arms in the old map does not include Limpiyadhura, Lipu Lekh and Kalapani.
However, the amendment proposal was not tabled during the meeting of the House of Representatives held on Wednesday.
It should be noted that a constitution amendment requires two-third majority of the House of Representatives.
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