KIRAN PANDAY THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY: The Dattatreya temple in Bhaktapur, Monday

In the run-up to the fifth prime ministerial election, the Maoists' last-ditch attempts will focus on the Madhesi alliance. But Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal appears to have conceded defeat already. Speaking at the Central Committee meeting on Thursday, he blamed the activity of national and international forces for the Maoists' inability to form a government.

The meeting concluded with a decision to continue dialogue with political parties, and the next meeting has been scheduled for 19 August, a day after the fifth round of voting. "We will hold talks with other political parties to form a consensus government within the current provisions," Maoist spokesperson Dinanath Sharma told reporters after the meeting. He added that they would also discuss amending the parliamentary regulations.

The UML, on Wednesday, once again decided to remain neutral in the fifth round of voting, barring the possibility of a national consensus government. The meeting also endorsed a nine-point paper emphasising the need to detach the Maoists from their paramilitary structures as a basis from which to move towards a consensus. The UML has been urging both Dahal and NC's Poudel to withdraw their candidacies.

This is far from certain at this point. NC vice president and prime ministerial candidate Ram Chandra Poudel ruled out any possibility of backing out from the prime ministerial election, following a request from the Maoists for a joint withdrawal of candidacies.

Despite public statements on the necessity of a national consensus to move ahead on the peace process and constitution writing, such stances are little more than strategic ploys for the Maoists, NC and UML: it really means government under one's own leadership. While the Maoists have decided to hold dialogue to push for a Maoist-led government, the NC and UML have made it clear they will not accept Maoist leadership unless the party is completely detached from its paramilitary wings. Given the Maoists' fundamental disagreements with the Madhesi alliance, not to mention the more royalist sections of the CA, such a consensus seems as far away as it was on 21 July.

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