editThe conclusion of the second phase elections finally brings politics to a legislature that has for very tactful reasons evidently remained in the backseat to bring public focus to the holding of the polls. The third phase of the elections due in a little over two months as currently scheduled must be taken up by the legislature since the holding of those very polls is as yet contingent on an overdue legislative amendment to the constitution as per demand of the Tarai based parties which resulted in the postponements and the phase wise elections in the very first place. More over, there is haste in the legislature to provide the recently elected local representatives the actual laws that will enable their legal empowerment to function. How the elections did take place without these laws being enacted is a relevant question altogether no doubt, but the excuse has been the time limits imposed to implement the constitutional provisions for elections. Now that the offices have been filled for local government, demand for the laws to fulfill their roles have only naturally emanated and cannot be postponed much longer. And, again, the holding of the third phase is continent on a functioning legislature itself. It is this vital trait that suggests that Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s first priority in the legislature is to go about garnering legislative support for the amendment to be passed in government which, in turn, suggests that he will be preoccupied with the wheeling dealing of government composition that will secure him the necessary numbers for the amendment to pass the legislature. We are back to the numbers game thus. The opposition UML shows no inclination as yet to mellow his stance on the amendments that the Maoist led amendment proposals tabled for the vote. It is the Congress led government now with the same partnership and the necessary numbers have yet to be conjoined. If the political rumor mill is right, the failure of the RPP leadership to add to the numbers prevented the then government from introducing the tabled proposal to the vote. Focus automatically shifts to the RPP once more for providing the answers. As things stand, the RPP leadership faces the same issues preventing it from a defining stance on the amendment. To boot, the disgruntled Tarai parties continue to state that the very amendments tabled for resolution fall far short of the assurances that they received at the very outset. Continuing discord here suggests that the focus on the legislature will make sure Deuba has his hands full. This is unless, that is, some other diversion is, as on previous occasions, manufactured to mask the politics of support and opposition in the House. This is where our political masters have repeatedly shown their mastery. The anticipation is in what rabbit will be pulled out of the political hat. Let’s wait.