While the UML is preparing to take a writ to court for the restoration of the parliament, the then Congress MPs have also started a signature campaign. The preparations to take a writ on behalf of the MPs are being made under the direction of UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli after the issue of whether or not the directly concerned MPs had filed a writ during the initial debate in the Constitutional Bench on the writ regarding the restoration of the House of Representatives.

Despite calling the dissolution of the House of Representatives unconstitutional, the Congress was preparing to go to the polls. However, leaders have said that there were repeated talks between Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, who is in Singapore, and Oli about going to the Supreme Court for the restoration of the House of Representatives. Following Deuba's instructions, the then Congress Chief Whip in the House of Representatives, Shyam Kumar Ghimire, has started collecting signatures.

According to Ghimire, 35 lawmakers have signed as of Sunday. Many of the signatories are members of the establishment party. 'The dissolution of the House of Representatives and the formation of the Sushila Karki-led government are unconstitutional, on the other hand, there is no environment for this government to hold elections, so the signatures were collected to formulate the party's formal position on the restoration,' Ghimire told Kantipur.

Outgoing MP Deepak Giri, who is also a central member of the party, claimed that the majority of the then parliament members were in favor of the restoration of the parliament to correct the unconstitutional steps and address the demands raised by the Gen-G movement, including the amendment of the constitution.

‘The signing was initiated with the aim of putting pressure on the ongoing Central Working Committee meeting in favor of the restoration,’ says Giri. ‘Many members voted in favor of the election in the Congress Central Working Committee meeting that has been going on since October 28.’ However, the Congress has not yet made a formal decision on whether to go to the election. 

Congress leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula, who advocated for the restoration of the parliament in the early days, has recently said that elections will provide a political outlet rather than restoration. ‘The question of whether or not the parliament will be restored is now a matter under consideration by the Supreme Court. It is not a matter of whether or not we will be restored if we sign and file a writ. Whatever the court decides, we will accept it,’ Sitaula told Kantipur. ‘But the Congress should decide to go to the election in the current situation.’

Meanwhile, the UML president is also showing interest in the Congress meeting that has been going on in Sanepa since October 28. Oli has been saying that they should move forward together on the issue of restoring the parliament through Congress President Deuba. A Congress official says that Deuba was asked to sign after being positive about Oli's words. 

However, Deuba, while addressing the Central Working Committee meeting, had expressed the opinion that elections should be held. Deuba had also thanked the President for finding a way out of the then crisis by causing less damage to the constitution. 

Congress leader Sitaula says that he cannot agree with the fact that President Deuba, who left the meeting with the opinion that elections should be held, has returned to the favor of restoring the parliament. 'Among the two ways to bring the constitution back on track, parliament restoration and elections are the only ways. The issue of restoring the parliament has become a matter under consideration in the court. However, after the Speaker has expressed the view that the election route should be taken, it does not seem like a decision will be made in favor of reinstatement,' says Sitaula, 'Other parties are also waiting for the decision of the Congress, as soon as the Congress decides to go for the election, the election environment will be created.' Mahesh Bartaula, the UML's chief whip in the dissolved House of Representatives, confirmed that the UML has started collecting signatures since Thursday for the purpose of filing a writ. 'The collection of signatures of the party's MPs in the dissolved Parliament is ongoing for the purpose of filing a writ in the Supreme Court demanding reinstatement,' he told Kantipur. 

Bartaula says that consultations are also being held with the Congress, the largest party in the dissolved House of Representatives, on whether to file a joint writ or go it alone. 'Whether we file a joint or single writ, the demand will be for the restoration of the parliament,' he said. 'There have been suggestions from civil society and legal experts that we should go to court against the dissolution of the House of Representatives, we will take a decision within a few days.' 

Bartaula said that it has not been decided whether Oli will be the party leader or the chief whip on behalf of the parliamentary party. Meanwhile, Oli has also presented various options regarding the roadmap after the restoration of the parliament. Oli is talking not only to the political parties represented in the then parliament, but also to various groups of Gen-G. According to sources, Oli has put forward the option of amending the constitution even after the restoration of the parliament, forming an all-party government led by an independent person, and then going to the election. 

'Even if we are to form a government under the leadership of the Chief Justice, let's restore the parliament, amend the constitution. Let's amend the constitutional provision that retired judges will have responsibility only in the Human Rights Commission. Let's form a government on the same basis and go to the election. Let's set a time limit of 6 months, eight months for that. Let's also make a provision in the constitution that the system that allows a former Chief Justice to be made the Prime Minister after the election will automatically be deactivated, this is my proposal, there may be other options,' Oli has been making such proposals to various parties. 

Oli has also put forward a six-point roadmap. These include the restoration of the parliament, immediate constitutional amendment by the House of Representatives, including a provision in the constitution that a person who is not a member of parliament can become the prime minister with the consent of the parties for the purpose of an electoral government, not claiming to be the prime minister during the period of the restored parliament, forming an all-party/all-facet government with the participation of Gen-G, and advance agreement among political parties to hold elections within three months from that government.

Although the UML has prioritized the restoration of the House of Representatives as its first priority, it has not abandoned the issue of elections. Keeping in mind the possibility of elections, the UML is running an organizational campaign through a public awareness campaign across the country. It has launched a nationwide campaign to form a 'DG (Digital Generation) Force' at the ward and village level, including the Gen-G generation. UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel has been accusing the government of failing to create an environment for elections, saying that 'UML is not a party that will run away from elections.'

UML Publicity Department Chief Rajendra Gautam says that since the restoration of the Parliament has become a matter of court, the party is working on the campaign for public awareness and preparations for the general convention in parallel. ‘Our view is that the country’s crisis can be averted through the restoration of the House of Representatives, although the party has linked every public mobilization to the election,’ he said, ‘Even if the election is not likely to be held on time, we have to go to the election one day or the other. For that, we are working on registering the party with the Election Commission and mobilizing organizations up to the local level.’