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UML-Maoist ties likely to break as Maoists propose Ramraja for president

Relations between CPN (Maoist) and CPN (UML) now seem to have taken a beating with the CPN (Maoist) deciding to propose Ram Raja Prasad Singh as the presidential candidate.

After failing to reach consensus on presidential candidate between the two parties, an internal meeting of the Maoist meeting on Thursday morning decided to support the candidature of Singh for the post.

The Maoists who had earlier agreed to share the post with the UML disagreed with the name of Madhav Kumar Nepal saying the candidate should be either Terai based, a woman or a Janajati.

After the Maoists decided to support Singh's candidature, UML has called an emergency meeting of the central committee to discuss the matter.

A few UML leaders who came out of the meeting reacted that the Maoists betrayed them at the last minute. Few senior leaders continue to discuss if the party should join the new government led by the Maoists.

However, Maoist leaders said they would further discuss the issue with other parties. Party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' told reporters after the meeting that his party hoped votes from Terai based parties on the candidature of Singh.

On the other hand, leaders of Nepali Congress have also mulled over party's candidate. NC leaders are likely to propose chairman of Terai Madhes Loktantrik Party (TMLP) Mahanta Thakur as presidential candidate. nepalnews.com ia July 16 08