KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress (NC) leader and former Minister of Finance Dr. Ram Saran Mahat clarified the NC would not make any decision on government formation until and unless formal proposals were presented to his party.

Talking to the media in Bhairahawa Saturday, Mahat said the NC was prepared to lead the new government but would hold back from deciding the coalition until written proposals were submitted. The party will not move forward on the basis of informal proposals, he added.

NC leader Mahat said the government run by Prime Minister KP Oli still had the support of the CPN (Maoist Center) and thus held majority. “If the Maoist Center withdraws its support then only the need of a new government arises,” he clarified.

Stating that the NC would not commit to power-sharing until PM Oli-led government lost its majority, Mahat said, “If Maoist Center withdrew support to the government and the situation of forming a new government arises, the NC would still need formal proposals from other parties to make any concrete decision.”