KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress (NC) has called an office-bearers’ emergency meeting after President Bidya Bhandari dissolved the House of Representatives (HoR) and announced the mid-term polls on Friday mid-night.

To be held at the NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba’s residence in Budhanilkantha at 9 am, incumbent and former office-bearers of the party will attend the meeting, informed Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat.

The meeting will dwell on the latest political development and come up with a common view of the party and devise a strategy on how to move ahead on the present political scenario, said Mahat.

President Bhandari has turned down both Prime Minister Oli and Deuba’s claims for the post of the Prime Minister saying that the claims failed to meet the criteria for the new government under Article 76 (5).

Issuing a statement, the President’s Office said the President dissolved the House as per Article 76(7) of the Constitution on the recommendation of the cabinet.

Some opposition party leaders have protested the President’s move to announce the mid-term polls saying that it is unconstitutional.

Nepali Congress (NC) Spokesperson Bishwa Prakash Sharma has said the mid-term elections announced amidst the COVID-19 pandemic will be costly for Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli President Bidya Bandari.

Taking to twitter, Spokesperson Sharma said so following the dissolution of the parliament and announcement of mid-term polls by President Bhandari on the recommendation of the Prime Minister on Friday midnight.

“The announcement of the mid-term polls at a time when the country is reeling under COVID-19 will be costly for Prime Minister Oli and President Bhandari,” said Sharma in his twitter.

The President and Prime Minister have offered mid-term polls as a gift to the Nepali people at a time when the country is reeling under the COVID-19, said Sharma, terming the move as an act of new ‘Kotparwa’.

Commenting on the announcement of the mid-term polls, NC central member Dr Shekhar Koirala has said President Bhandari blatantly breached the Constitution rather than becoming the custodian ofdi it.

Taking to twitter, Koirala said, “The move taken by the President is unconstitutional and it has pushed the country into a perpetual abyss.”

Similarly, CPN (Maoist Center) leader Barsha Man Pun has said the President and the Prime Minister committed a coup to the Constitution by announcing the mid-term polls on Friday night in a Gyanendra style. Former King Gyanendra Shah had also chosen Friday while committing a coup, said Pun.

Taking to social media, Pun said the mid-term polls were announced at midnight by committing a coup to the Constitution.

President Bhandari had announced the mid-term polls on Friday midnight by turning down Deuba and Oli’s claims for the post of Prime Minister on Friday midnight.

Nepal’s President Bhandari dissolved the House of Representatives on the recommendation of Prime Minister Oli and announced that mid-term elections would be held on November 12 and 19, a year ahead of schedule.

Likewise, Federal Council Chairman of Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) Dr Baburam Bhattarai has described the President’s move as a conspiracy to end federal democratic republic by scrapping the Constitution rather than the announcement of the mid-term polls.