Four major political parties are likely to strike a fresh deal on demarcation of federal provinces tonight.
After days of closed-door negotiations, the NC, the UML, the UCPN (M) and the MJF (D) on Saturday agreed to carve out six federal provinces in Nepal.
Top leaders of the four major parties have resolved the dispute over the five Tarai districts by including Sunsari, Morang and Jhapa districts in the eastern province and Kailali and Kanchanpur in the far-western province. The MJF (D) Chair Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar is reportedly unhappy with demarcation of eastern and far-western provinces, but the top leaders have been trying to persuade him.
Nevertheless, the top leaders have divided Nawalparasi district and included it in two different provinces. NC leader Ram Chandra Poudel told medial persons that parts of Rukum and Baglung districts are also undecided.
While emerging from the four-party meeting room, Poudel said: "Last-minute negotiations on secularism, constitutional court and threshold are also underway. But even if we fail to reach a deal on these issues, we will forward whatever we agree upon to the Constituent Assembly (CA)'s Constitutional, Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee (CPDCC)."
The CPDCC has been postponing its meeting due to delay in reaching a fresh deal on demarcation of federal provinces.
As per the new deal, the first province includes all districts of Koshi and Mechi zone as well as Solukhumbu, Okhaldhunga, Udayapur and Khotang districts of Sagarmatha zone.
The second province will have eight Tarai districts between Parsa and Saptari.
The third province will have all districts of Bagmati zone beside Makawanpur and Chitwan of Narayani zone and Sindhuli, Dolakha and Ramechhap of Janakpur zone.
The fourth province will have all districts of Gandaki, Dhaulagiri and part of Nawalparasi district. The part of Nawalparasi district east of Daunne will be included in this province.
The fifth province will have all districts of Rapti and Lumbini beside Banke and Bardiya of Bheri zone. Part of Nawalparasi west of Daunne will also be included in this province.
The sixth province will have Seti, Mahakali and Karnali zones. Surkhet, Dailekh and Jajarkot districts of Bheri will also be part of this province.
Earlier, the four parties had agreed to consider identity and viability as basis of creating federal provinces. But when they struck a 16-point deal on 8 June, they decided to determine names and boundaries of federal provinces only after promulgating the new constitution.
Madhesi and Janajati parties rejected the 16-point deal by dubbing it as a ploy to sabotage the agenda of federalism. They demanded names and boundaries of federal provinces before promulgation of the new constitution.
Although the four parties have drawn the map of federal Nepal, names of federal provinces are still undecided. As per the 16-point deal, future provincial councils will have rights to name their respective federal provinces.