Leaders of the major parties have said they will arrive at a consensus on the contentious issues of the new constitution by today mid-night or early Monday.

Coming out of a meeting held at the Constituent Assembly building, leaders said they would make all possible attempts to settle the differences in view of the five-day deadline for the consensus which runs out in the mid-might.

"We will talk overnight to arrive at a consensus," Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said after the meeting.

Similarly, Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar, the chairman of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (Loktantrik), which is a key constituent of the Madhesi Front, said the parties have created an environment conducive for broad agreement and that he was hopeful of a breakthrough in today evening's talks.

"If not possible today night, breakthrough is certain on Monday," Gachchhadar said.

However, Nepali Congress vice chairman Ram Chandra Poudel sounded less optimistic.

"We had a discussion. Now they [Maoist and UML leaders] are going to engage in their establishment day programme. There will be another meeting tonight," he said warily. nepalnews.com