In an indicator that the Left front’s revival move is afoot, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre, informed the caretaker Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba that he is in the race for the top job.
Prachanda met Deuba at his official residence on Saturday and “solicited support of the Nepali Congress in his bid,” a senior Maoist leader told the Sunday Express, adding that Deuba promised to look into the matter and would run it before other coalition partners as well.
Though Prachanda had been expressing his ambition in public forums, he broke the subject directly to Deuba, who is also the chairman of the Nepali Congress. The move will not only upset a logical course Deuba, as the head of the largest party in the House,will be heading the new government, but also sends across a signal that Prachanda is ready to break the current alliance and form a new one, if he fails to get to be the Prime Minister.
Prachanda’s Party went to poll as one of the five constituents of an alliance led by Deuba’s Nepali Congress together securing130-plus seats, just short of additional five seats to touch the 138 figure for an absolute majority in a House of 275 seats. The Maoist Centre emerged as the fourth largest party with 32 seats.
The Maoist Centre and the Communist Party of Nepal Unified Marxist Leninist Party had successfully contested the previous (1974) polls as alliance partners and then the merger fell out after being together for three years as Prachanda and K P Oli turned foes. Prachanda formed an alliance with Deuba in July 2021 to successfully dislodge Oli from the post.
“Oli is silent on the issue, but the fact that Prachanda put forth this proposal means, once the current five party alliance refuses to back him, he will walk away to the UML fold, strike a deal to barter PM’s post with that of the President,” said a senior Nepali Congress leader, who is also a claimant for the PM’s post, adding that,“Prachanda would not have gone this far without a preliminary understanding.”
UML with 78 seats, and Maoists with 32 will be far below the required majority, “but they are also banking on other smaller parties besides Deuba’s declining popularity within the party,’ he added.
Prachanda’s meeting with Deuba on Saturday comes a day after the Election Commission submitted the November 20 election results that marks the beginning of the formal process towards constitution of the new House, oath taking and formation of a new government.