Nepal's Constituent Assembly ( CA) elections will be held by the end of June, local media reported Sunday, quoting Nepali Congress (NC) party General Secretary Ram Chandra Poudel.

Poudel, also member of the eight-party taskforce formed to draft the common program of the soon-to-be-formed interim government, made a remarks at a program organized by the NC at Lekhnath Municipality in Kaski in western Nepal Saturday, according to local website eKantipur.com.

Poudel's remarks came at a time when there is a growing concern that the CA polls cannot be held by mid-June, as agreed by the ruling Seven-Party Alliance and the Communist Party of Nepal ( Maoist) earlier.

"The eight parties want to hold the polls before the beginning of the rainy season," said Poudel, adding, "Though the Maoists are trying to join the interim government with their arms, the seven parties will let them (the Maoists) join government only after their arms are separated from their security guards."

He also said that the NC would not, at any cost, favor the monarchy, during the CA elections.

"Though the Nepali Congress will opt for a democratic republic in its party statute to be drafted before the Constituent Assembly polls, the formal announcement to this end would only be made public after the polls date is fixed," he said.

Source: Xinhua