Nepali Congress has decided to stake a claim for the prime minister’s post and is engaged in hectic confabs with other parties to conclude a deal ahead of Thursday’s deadline issued by the President to political parties to form a new government as the one headed by KP Sharma Oli lost a crucial trust vote.
The decision to form a new government was taken on Tuesday after the office bearers of the Nepali Congress (NC) covened a meeting under the leadership of party president Sher Bahadur Deuba.
On Monday, Bidya Devi Bhandari, the Office of President, said she has decided to invite parties to form a majority government pursuant to Article 76 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal.
Deuba met with the opposition leaders and discussed ways to form a fresh government under his leadership.
The meeting was attended by CPN-Maoist Centre chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” and Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP-N) second president Upendra Yadav.
“My party would support Deuba to become the Prime Ministerial candidate,” Prachanda indicated. Nevertheless, JSP-N with its 32 seats in the 271-member House of Representatives is divided on the issue of supporting Deuba as the new prime minister.
It is impossible for Nepali Congress, with mere 61 seats in the House of Representatives, and Maoist Centre with even lesser seats, to form a majority government without the support of JSP-N.
Meanwhile, the second president of JSP-N has assured to support Deuba’s candidacy, but first president of the Party Mahanta Thakur is against the idea.