Kathmandu, June 27 -- KP Sharma Oli, chairman of CPN-UML, and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, coordinator of the Nepali Communist Party (NCP), are moving closer to a renewed political alignment. Insiders say the two leaders have been in active dialogue in recent weeks to map out possible cooperation.

The sudden acceleration in talks comes at a tense moment for both camps, as the government steps up investigations into the assets of senior UML and NCP leaders.

During a UML office-bearers' meeting last week, Oli openly stressed the need for cooperation with the NCP and other like-minded parties. He pointed to what he described as an increasingly aggressive posture from the government towards the UML, particularly the arrest of party vice-chairman Bis...