After splitting from Nepal's main Madhesi block, the MPRF today said it wants to play a "decisive" role in tomorrow's prime ministerial run-off, which will be the parliament's seventh attempt to elect a leader.
The Madhesi People's Rights Forum, which has 25 lawmakers in Parliament, said it had split from the regional block as it did not want to remain neutral and allow the country to be held hostage to political uncertainty.
"A government should be formed in the seventh round of election, whether it would be under the Maoists leadership or that of the Nepali Congress, though our party is yet to decide whom to support in the election," MPRF chief Upendra Yadav said.
The split comes in the backdrop of reports of massive horse trading, with the media claiming that the Maoists had got a 'war chest' of Rs50 crore from China to lure away smaller Madhesi parties' lawmakers.
"We will try our best to make it a decisive election. The country should not be made hostage of political uncertainty for a long time," Yadav said.
Yadav's comments came as the Maoists led by Prachanda scrambled for fresh support ahead of tomorrow's run-off with Nepali Congress candidate Ramchandra Poudyal.
The Maoists chief whip Bahadur Bogati said that the party had approached four smaller Madhesi parties to vote for a Prachanda-led government to end the two-month long stalemate in the country.
A split in the 82-member strong Madhesi alliance appeared imminent with the Madhesi People's Rights Forum chief Upendra Yadav claiming that tomorrow's prime ministerial poll "would be decisive".
According to sources, the Maoists have opened direct talks with Madhesi splinter groups, inviting them to join a new coalition government.
"We have asked them to abandon their neutral position and vote for us," a top Maoist official said.
But even with the support of the 25 MPRF lawmakers, the Maoists, whose candidate Prachanda has been getting around 240 votes, they will still fall short of the magic figure of 301 in the 601 member house.
Yadav said though his party had broken the alliance with the Madhesi Front on the issue of electing the Prime Minister, it will continue to work for the cause of the Madhesi people their rights and representation.
He denied charges that his party's decision to break the alliance was under foreign influence, and claimed the move to break away from the alliance was due to current political necessity.
"It is our own decision and we took the decision to rescue the country from being hostage of uncertainty. Our party wanted to play a new role in this context," he said.
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