In a swift move, CPN-Maoist Centre chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda, Sunday mustered the support of 168 parliamentarians, way above the magic mark of 138 in the House of Representatives, clearing the way for his third stint in the Nepal Prime Minister’s Office in the last 14 years.
Hardly an hour after he snapped ties with the ruling coalition led by Sher Bahadur Deuba, Prachanda went to the President’s office in the company of KP Sharma Oli, chief of the Communist Party of Nepal – Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), with a list of supporters from seven political parties.
Notably, the parties supporting Prachanda include pro-monarchy Rastriya Prajatantra Party, newly born Rastriya Swatantra Party, Janata Samajbadi Party, regional outfits like Jamat Party and Nagarik besides the UML and the CPN-Maoist Centre.
The list was submitted well within the deadline President Bidhya Devi Bhandari had set for claimants to form the government.
The major allies – CPN-Maoist Centre and the UML – have asked the President to administer the oath at the earliest.