Kathmandu, May 13:

Leaders of major political parties said on Sunday that if the first draft of the constitution comes within stipulated deadlines it is possible to extend the tenure of the Constituent Assembly (CA).

Speaking at an interaction organized by Reporters Club, they said that the parties had not alternative to extending the CA term to control the current disorder in the country.

The Prime Minister’s political advisor and UCPN-Maoist politburo member Devendra Poudel said that the prime minister was preparing to extend the tenure of the CA.

He said that the CPN-UML should implement the five-point deal for political consensus to resolve the disputed issues of the constitution.

"The demand of undivided regions was against the federal concept and state restructuring principle," Poudel said. NC leader Dip Kumar Upadhyay said that the parties were not serious to resolve constitutional matters through consensus and stressed that his party will never accept the caste based federalism.

He said that the capacity and identity based federal system will resolve the disputed issues of the constitution. Without capacity, the identity based province will not work for development and prosperity, he added.

He said that NC will never accept the 11 province and one identity based federal system.

He said that minimum number of provinces based on capacity will be most suitable for country. He urged the parties try to resolve the matters of state restructuring and governance system through voting.

CPN-UML leader Pradip Gyawali said that federal states should be named on the basis of multi identity principle. He said that the joining the government was not the priority of his party. Constitution writing is the most important issue, he said. Gyawali said that eleven provinces based on multi identity will be acceptable for his party.