No polls, no credibility, Saran tells Koirala

The message that a Government without people8217;s mandate cannot be an acceptable substitute to the king8217;s authoritarian regime projects Prime Minister Koirala in poor light, and that is likely to give a fillip to his political detractors who are already asking him to quit for his having failed to hold elections on schedule.

India pressed for an early election8212;as early as December8212;so that the political process and the peace process could be carried forward with required legitimacy. Although there has been no official words yet if Saran said anything about whether elections should take place even without Maoists, reports suggest that if any one party does try to create problems in holding elections against the earlier agreements or understanding, that should not be the valid reason for postponing elections time and again.

Saran who arrived here on Wednesday in the wake of Government decision to postpone elections slated for November met Koirala twice, besides former prime ministers Surya Bahadur Thapa, Sher Bahadur Deuba, Prachanda, Home Minister K P Sitaula, Peace and Reconstruction Minister R C Poudel, UML General Secretary Madhav Nepal and Chief Election Commissioner Bhojraj Pokharel.