Indian ambassador Rakesh Sood met Nepali Congress vice president and party's prime ministerial candidate Ram Chandra Poudel, discussing the prime ministerial election. At the meeting, Poudel is known to have claimed that the NC would be able to garner enough support from the parties to form the new government.

Similarly, US ambassador to Nepal Scott H. DeLisi held separate meetings Maoist chairman and party's prime ministerial candidate Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (Loktantrik) chairman Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar.

During his meeting with Dahal at the Maoist headquarters, Paris Danda, DeLisi stressed that the new government needs to be formed at the earliest and that the successive indecisive voting for the Prime Minister's post would only deepen the political deadlock.

Dahal is learnt to have said that his party is in favour of a consensus government for which it is continuing talks with other parties.

The US ambassador had met UML chairman Jhala Nath Khanal yesterday, conveying the US government's concern over the prolonged deadlock due to the failure to elect new prime minister.

nepalnews.com