Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli assured the country of “free and impartial” mid-term elections in April and May, The Himalayan Times reported.

Addressing an event of the Armed Police Force in Kathmandu on Friday, Oli said, “The entire country is preparing for the elections. (The) time has come for security agencies to play an important role in the House of Representatives poll scheduled for 30 April and 10 May.”

He also asked security forces to thwart any attempt to cause untoward incidents by unruly people.

Elections in Nepal was necessitated after Oli dissolved the lower house of parliament on 20 December last year. The move came after the months-long tussle between Oli and his rivals, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, over the leadership of the ruling Nepal Communist Party(NCP).

Though the opposition leaders, including the NCP faction led by Dahal-Nepal, have challenged the constitutional validity of the 20 December move, Prime Minister Oli seems projecting as if the elections would be held on time.

If the Supreme Court overturns the house dissolution decision, the elections, scheduled in April and May this year, are likely to happen.