Kathmandu  - Leaders of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) who emerged as the biggest party following last month's elections have stepped up calls for the embattled King Gyanendra to abdicate and leave the royal palace, media reports said Wednesday.

Maoist chairman Prachanda and his deputy Baburam Bhattarai separately called on the king to leave the palace before the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly scheduled for 28 May, the Himalayan Times newspaper reported.

"The first meeting of the assembly will formally abolish the monarchy, and the king should quit the palace and lead a civilian life before that," the newspaper quoted Bhattarai as saying.

"If the king does not abdicate the throne even after the decision of the first meeting of assembly, action would be taken against him as per the law of the land," Bhattarai said. Bhattarai did not elaborate on what those actions would be.

Separately, Maoist chairman Prachanda said the king would not be granted any special rights after the abolition of the monarchy.

The official Rising Nepal newspaper quoted the Maoist leader, who is likely to head the next government, as saying he had personally written to the king asking him to leave the royal palace in Kathmandu.

"We have already sent a letter to the palace but the king is yet to respond," the newspaper quoted Prachanda as saying.

With just two weeks remaining for the first sitting of the newly elected constituent assembly, the focus has now shifted on how the political parties will move towards their commitment on declaring the country a republic.

The assembly is tasked with writing a new constitution and ratifying a decision of the interim parliament to abolish the monarchy.

Earlier this week, a politician close to the king said Gyanendra would not leave the country and go into exile even if the monarchy is abolished.

Political analysts say ratification of the parliament's decision to abolish the monarchy is a mere formality with all major parties, including the Nepali Congress, supporting the move.

The ratification will bring to an end the 240 years of monarchy in Nepal. (dpa)