Nepal polls: Ex-PM warns of 'street action' if March 5 deadline is deferred

Former prime minister and coordinator of the largest Communist grouping Pushpakamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Saturday warned that his party would hit the streets if the March 5 general election is postponed under any pretext. Prachanda, the coordinator of Nepali Communist Party (NCP), a conglomeration of 10 left parties in the country formed last month, also asserted that the NCP has stood firmly in favour of elections from the time it was announced. Attempts are being made to differ the election date, which is not acceptable, Prachanda pointed out and said, the election slated for March 5 must be conducted on the stipulated date. The former prime minister was addressing a unity mass rally of NCP in the Bhrikutimandap area of Kathmandu. He cautioned the government against any attempt to defer the election dates under any pretext and said, the NCP has stood firmly in favour of elections since its announcement and has consistently appealed for timely polls through mass gatherings across