Feel like a winner myself, says Nepal PM after local level polls

Kathmandu, May 19 (IANS) Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Friday urged the people to celebrate the successful holding of local elections, and said preparations were on for holding the second phase on June 14.

Speaking at an inaugural ceremony of the Agriculture and Forestry University's central office building in Rampur in Chitwan, Dahal said he felt like a winner himself notwithstanding his party's performance in the polls.

Dahal said he felt relieved at the successful holding of the local level elections, and added, "The nation has entered a the new era."

He also acknowledged the challenges of holding the second phase of local polls, the Himalayan Times reported.

Dahal stated he would hold a meeting with major political parties and Madhes-based parties in a bid to create a conducive environment for holding elections in Provinces 1,2 5 and 7, after returning to the capital.

The CPN Maoist Chairman Dahal said after completion of the second phase of local polls, all the political achievements would be institutionalised and people would witness the pace of development in their regions.

In another development, Nepal's Council of Ministers have accepted the Tharuhat Tarai-Madhes movement as a political one on Thursday at a meeting held at the Office of the Nepali Prime Minister and Council of Ministers.

It was decided under the recommendation of the Ministry of Home Affairs that the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs will present a proposal to withdraw all the cases filed against the people who participated in the movement, the daily reported.

The Cabinet meeting has also decided to introduce the 'Chure Tarai Madhes Protection and Management Master Plan' for the management of the river systems, the promotion of greenery, forest area, for the development and sustainable management of forests and natural resources, and for minimizing the risk of climate change and adaptation in the Chure Tarai region, Nepal's Information and Communications Minister Surendra Kumar Karki said.