KATHMANDU: A high-level meeting between Nepal’s two largest parties – Nepali Congress and CPN-UML – has led to fresh speculation that days of PM P K Dahal ‘Prachanda‘-led govt are numbered.
Nepali Congress prez Sher Bahadur Deuba went to the house of Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist’s chairman and ex-PM K P Sharma Oli, part of the governing coalition, on Saturday Although the details of the closed-door meeting have not been made public, there is speculation among some political circles that the two politicians might have discussed the formation of a new coalition govt to oust Prachanda.Oli, eying premiership once again, was unhappy with the recent budget allocations for fiscal year 2024-25, which he has publicly criticised.
However, sources close to Prachanda dismissed “rumours about change in the power equation”, saying CPN-Maoist Centre chairman Prachanda and CPN-UML chairman Oli are determined to continue the present coalition for the full term. Prachanda and Oli held two meetings Sunday and Monday at the PM’s Office during which “the two discussed the latest political situation and ways to strengthen the present coalition govt,” claimed PM’s press adviser. The two agreed to bring in political parties like Nagarik Unmukti Party which voted in favour of the govt during the vote of confidence into the governing coalition, he added.
Prachanda has faced vote of confidence in parliament thrice in his one-and-a-half-year term. Gunaraj Luitel, chief editor of Nagarik Daily, noted that there will be political stability only if the largest party in the parliament Nepali Congress and the second-largest CPN-UML join hands. “It seems unnatural when the third largest party Maoist Centre is steering the govt and the largest party NC is sitting in the opposition,” he said. The Nepali Congress has 89 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives whereas CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre have 78 and 32 seats respectively. Nepal has seen 13 govts in the last 16 years.
Nepali Congress prez Sher Bahadur Deuba went to the house of Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist’s chairman and ex-PM K P Sharma Oli, part of the governing coalition, on Saturday Although the details of the closed-door meeting have not been made public, there is speculation among some political circles that the two politicians might have discussed the formation of a new coalition govt to oust Prachanda.Oli, eying premiership once again, was unhappy with the recent budget allocations for fiscal year 2024-25, which he has publicly criticised.
However, sources close to Prachanda dismissed “rumours about change in the power equation”, saying CPN-Maoist Centre chairman Prachanda and CPN-UML chairman Oli are determined to continue the present coalition for the full term. Prachanda and Oli held two meetings Sunday and Monday at the PM’s Office during which “the two discussed the latest political situation and ways to strengthen the present coalition govt,” claimed PM’s press adviser. The two agreed to bring in political parties like Nagarik Unmukti Party which voted in favour of the govt during the vote of confidence into the governing coalition, he added.
Prachanda has faced vote of confidence in parliament thrice in his one-and-a-half-year term. Gunaraj Luitel, chief editor of Nagarik Daily, noted that there will be political stability only if the largest party in the parliament Nepali Congress and the second-largest CPN-UML join hands. “It seems unnatural when the third largest party Maoist Centre is steering the govt and the largest party NC is sitting in the opposition,” he said. The Nepali Congress has 89 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives whereas CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre have 78 and 32 seats respectively. Nepal has seen 13 govts in the last 16 years.
