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Nepali Congress said that the meeting of the Central Working Committee will decide whether to forge alliance with the parties of ruling alliance in the local level elections.

Party President and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has called the meeting of the Central Working Committee at the party’s central office for 2 pm on Friday.

Party spokesperson Prakash Sharan Mahat said that the meeting would decide whether to forge an electoral alliance or not.

“The meeting will decide whether or not to forge an electoral alliance,” Mahat said. “All the parties’ objective is to win more seats in the elections,” he further said.

Saying that the party leaders and cadres have been indulging in the debate whether or not to forge the electoral alliance, he said that there is no need to engage in such a debate.

He said that the party leaders have differing views on whether to forge alliance with the parties of ruling alliance or not.

But, Prime Minister Deuba has already told CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Nepal that he would take the decision whether or not to forge an electoral alliance by holding discussions with the party leaders.

Nepali Congress spokesperson Prakash Sharan Mahat said that the party would finalize the names of candidates for the upcoming local level elections by mid-April.

Speaking at a press conference organized in Salyan on Sunday, Mahat said that the party would finalize the names of candidates for the forthcoming local polls by mid-April.

He said that the party has formed parliamentary committees at the central, state, district and municipal levels to decide the candidates to be fielded by the party at various levels.

Leader Mahat said that the centre would look into any dispute that could not be resolved by the party’s lower level committee.

Meanwhile, Mahat also made public the general criteria of the candidates of local level.

The UN human rights office (OHCHR) said on Saturday that at least 847 civilians had been killed and 1,399 wounded in Ukraine as of March 18, Reuters reported.

Most of the casualties were from explosive weapons such as shelling from heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, and missile and airstrikes, OHCHR said.

The real toll is thought to be considerably higher since OHCHR, which has a large monitoring team in the country, has not yet been able to verify casualty reports from several badly hit cities, it said, according to Reuters.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday said his country will invest $42 billion in India over the next five years in a deal that is expected to boost bilateral trade, Associated Press reported.

Kishida met his counterpart, Narendra Modi, in New Delhi during his maiden visit to India since assuming office. The two leaders held talks ranging from economy to security cooperation.

In a televised press statement, Kishida said the investment plan will bring huge benefits for several industries, from the development of urban infrastructure to green energy.

Kishida also said the two sides reaffirmed Japan and India’s commitment to strengthen security ties across the Indo-Pacific region and held discussions over the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

“We discussed the situation in Ukraine. (The) Russian attack is a serious matter as it has shaken international norms,” he said, according to the Associated Press.

India says ties with Japan are key to stability in the region. The two nations, along with the United States and Australia, are members of the Indo-Pacific alliance known as “the Quad” that is countering China’s rising influence in Asia.

India is the only Quad member that has not condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It has refrained from taking sides and abstained from voting against Russia at the U.N. or criticizing President Vladimir Putin.

Japan, meanwhile, has imposed financial sanctions to isolate Russia, including export controls on high-tech products.

The Japanese investments in India touched $32 billion between 2000 and 2019, mainly in the automobile, electrical equipment, telecommunications, chemical, insurance and pharmaceutical sectors. Japan has also been supporting infrastructure development in India, including a high-speed rail project.

The bilateral trade between India and Japan for 2019-20 crossed $11.87 billion, according to government data. India’s exports from Japan amounted to $3.94 billion while India’s imports from Japan stood at $7.93 billion.

In September, the Quad leaders announced Japan would work with India on a $100 million investment in COVID-19 vaccines and treatment drugs, Associated Press reported.

Kishida will end his India visit on Sunday.