Days after forming a new coalition to fight the upcoming elections in Nepal, former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has stated that if asked, he would leave the government of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Mr. Prachanda’s comments came even as talks began in Kathmandu about the formation of a new caretaker government in Nepal.
“The government of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is short of majority numbers as Mr. Prachanda has formed an electoral alliance with former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli. Hence, it is possible that a caretaker government could be formed before the election. Currently, consultations are going on among all parties concerned to form a national unity government and we hope that there will be a consensus on maintaining political order before elections,” said Deep Kumar Upadhyay, former Ambassador of Nepal to India, who resigned last week to contest elections from the Nepali Congress party next month.
Cohesive order sought
Demand for a new government has been increasing over the last few days with other political parties also seeking a cohesive political order.
“There is a strange situation in Nepali politics at present. On the one hand, the ruling coalition partner has joined hands with the opposition without leaving the coalition and on the other, there is the urgent need to conduct the parliamentary election,” said Madhesi leader Upendra Yadav.
He said all efforts should be focused on holding the elections to restore political order.
Critic of India
The government of PM Deuba, the leader of the Nepali Congress, received a jolt last week after coalition partner Maoist Centre party, led by Mr. Prachanda, joined hands with the opposition, the CPN-UML of Mr. Oli.
Mr. Oli, who was the Prime Minister during the blockade of Nepal during 2015-16, is perceived to be a critic of India in Nepali polity.
The elections in Nepal, which began in May 2017, is a three-phase event covering local, provincial and national levels. Local level elections were conducted in May, and parliamentary elections are scheduled to begin next month.
It is possible that a caretaker govern- ment could be formed before the [parliamentary] electionDeep Kumar UpadhyayFormer Ambassador to India
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