Nepal: Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda resigned from his post on Friday. According to the Kathmandu Post, he failed to get the confidence vote in the Parliament. He could remain the Prime Minister for only 1 year and 6 months.
In the floor test, he got the support of only 63 out of 275 MPs. 194 MPs of Nepal’s National Assembly voted against him. He needed the support of 138 MPs to save the government.
In fact, earlier this month, pro-China KP Sharma Oli’s party CPN-UML broke its alliance with Prime Minister Prachanda’s Communist Party of Nepal. After this, his government came into minority. Under Article 100 (2) of Nepal’s Constitution, he had to prove majority in a month. He failed in this today.
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This was the fifth vote of confidence for Prachanda within one and a half years of assuming the post of Prime Minister on December 25, 2022. He was successful in getting the vote of confidence four times, but this time he failed. To get the vote of confidence, he needed at least 138 votes in the 275-member House of Representatives, but this could not happen. 69-year-old Prachanda got 63 votes in the country’s 275-member House of Representatives, while 194 votes were cast against the vote of confidence motion.
At present, the Nepali Congress has 89 seats in the House, while the CPN-UML has 78 seats. Their combined strength is 167, which is much more than the 138 seats required for a majority in the lower house. Prachanda’s Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Center) has 32 seats.
Defending the decision to form an alliance with the Nepali Congress, Oli had said on Wednesday that fringe parties and their inconsistent moves need to be defeated through a partnership of the two parties. Both parties said they agreed on the need to amend the constitution to protect national interests and make Nepal prosperous and ensure the well-being of the Nepali people.
What will happen next in Nepal?
As soon as Speaker Debabrata Ghimire announced Prachanda’s failure in the trust vote, the MPs present there started congratulating KP Oli. Oli and Deuba will soon go to President Ram Chandra Paudel to form a government together.
Both parties have the support of a total of 167 MPs in the Parliament. According to the Nepali Constitution, the new government has to win the confidence vote in the Parliament within 30 days of its formation.
Pro-China Oli joins hands with pro-India Deuba
Oli’s party CPN-UML has decided to form an alliance with the country’s largest party Sher Bahadur Deuba’s Nepali Congress. Let us tell you that Sher Bahadur Deuba is considered pro-India, while Oli is considered close to China. Talks have taken place between Deuba and Oli regarding the post of Prime Minister.
Kathmandu Post has quoted sources as saying that KP Sharma Oli will become PM for one and a half years in the new government. After this, Deuba will become the Prime Minister for the remaining term. KP Oli will return to the post of PM after 4 years. Earlier, he was the Prime Minister from 2018 to 2021.
What is the story of the relationship between Oli and Prachanda?
A new constitution was implemented in Nepal in 2015. Elections were held and KP Sharma Oli became the Prime Minister of Nepal. But, his government fell in July 2016 after allies withdrew their support. When the government fell, Oli blamed India for it, because India had lodged a protest over not including the demands of Madhesi and Tharu people in the new constitution of Nepal.
When elections were held again, Oli’s party Communist Party of Nepal (UML) and Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda’s party Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) formed a coalition government. Together, they got a two-thirds majority in the House.
In 2018, both the parties merged and Nepal Communist Party (NCP) came into existence. NCP has 173 MPs in the 275-member House. After 31 months, once again this party has split into two factions.
Before entering active politics, Prachanda was a part of the armed Maoist movement in Nepal from 1996 to 2006. On the other hand, Oli has been one of the staunch opponents of the violent movement.
What impact will Oli’s becoming the Prime Minister have on India?
According to a BBC report, after KP Sharma Oli becomes the Prime Minister, there may be some impact on the relations between India and Nepal. During the KP Oli government, Nepal had released a map of its own, which had created controversy.
Nepal released its official map in May 2020, showing Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura areas within Nepal’s border. India had objected to this and refused to accept this map.
This time Nepali Congress is also in the government. This party has good relations with India. Nepali Congress insists on finding a solution to the problem through diplomacy. In such a situation, it is unlikely that the new government will be able to bring much change in the relationship with India.
