"The seven opposition parties will be holding rallies in different parts of the Kathmandu valley and converge for a mass meeting at 2pm in Basantapur (in the city centre)," Shovakar Parjuli, secretary of the Nepali Congress party, told AFP.

The parties were sidelined when King Gyanendra sacked the government on February 1 last year, claiming it was corrupt, had failed to hold elections and had not managed to defeat a decade-long Maoist insurgency which has killed more than 12,000 people.

After taking over, Gyanendra jailed politicians, declared a state of emergency and cut off telecommunications.

Political parties and student groups have since then staged periodic protests, including rallies 10 days ago which sparked running battles between police and activists in Durbar Square, the historic old heart of Kathmandu.