The king's election call is based on his incorrect analysis that he would be able to kill many birds with one stone. His first card was to lure in the parties to take part in polls so he could portray himself as a democrat and legitimise all of his undemocratic moves. If the parties did not participate, Plan B was to sideline them on charges that they had lost their credibility among the people and had been displaced. The third scheme was to cash in on possible indifference and rifts among the parties. It was expected that the isolated royal regime would be able to entice one of the factions of the parties' alliance. The dangerous part of this plan is that the king's loyalists and yes men win the elections using rubber stamps like the Election Commission and the royal administration. It is very important to understand that this is all part of a grand design to create political parties comprising his votaries and to uproot the mainstream political blocs. The king wants to institutionalise his autocratic regime and by amending the 1991 constitution he plans to establish a guided democracy under an active monarchy. The drama of this election must be seen in the context of the appointments of zonal and regional administrators and army interference in the civil administration in the name of a unified command. Now we see their efforts to create mass opposition against elections so that the rulers are forced to hold the vote within the confines of army barracks and police stations. Once security personnel in civil dress and their family members are made to cast their votes within these areas, such an election becomes meaningless. You will not find legitimacy anywhere in the whole world for such polls. The Maoists long ago announced they would not allow the vote to take place. In that case, it's possible that the government may announce that the candidates were elected unopposed, which would produce a result void of any credibility and legitimacy. Our campaign of boycotting the municipal polls is only a step in the democratic movement that aims to end the autocratic monarchy. We don't need polls as a medium to reach the people. Even without participating in the elections, we have been able to win the people's support and it is growing. Hundreds of thousands of people attended our mass meetings in Butwal, Janakpur, Biratnagar, Nepalganj and Birganj. At a time when the reactionary regime has been chaotic, unstable and disorganised, the right policy would be to boycott the polls and isolate the rulers. Of course, the UML utilised the opportunity of elections during the Panchayat regime. But that was then, this is now. At present such a policy will not work.