KATHMANDU: CPN-UML Chairman KP Oli has affirmed that the CPN-Maoist Center will back his party in the forthcoming by-elections in Ilam-2.

Addressing a gathering organized by the UML in Kathmandu on Saturday, Chairperson Oli expressed certainty that the Maoist Center is ready to lend support to the UML in the crucial moments leading up to the by-elections.

“I am confident – until the very end, the Maoist Center will stand with us. Their aim is to prevent the Nepali Congress from winning,” he declared.

Chairperson Oli hinted at the willingness to collaborate with the Maoist Center in Ilam if they were in a stronger position.

“If the Maoist Center were in a more advantageous position than the CPN-UML in Ilam, we would openly support them. However, the Maoist Center has only 4,000 votes, whereas we have 13,000. We outnumber them more than twofold. Therefore, it is reasonable to anticipate their support for us,” he explained.

Oli emphasized that this time around, the CPN-UML faces minimal competition from the Nepali Congress in Ilam.

“Simple arithmetic shows that we will secure a minimum of 13,000 to 16,000 votes this time. The Nepali Congress will be restricted to 10,000. That’s apparent,” added the UML Chair.

He further asserted that other political parties would struggle to pose a challenge.

Oli underscored that the previous dynamics, where the Nepali Congress gained strength from alliances with the Maoist Center and Unified Socialist Party, no longer hold sway.