Prachanda asks Deuba to support him as new PM

Kathmandu: Giving a new, but certainly not unexpected twist to the rat race to power, Maoist Chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) told Care taker Prime Minister and Nepali Congress Chief Sher Bahadur Deuba that he is in the race for the Prime Minister.

Although Prachanda had been stating this publicly ever since the election results were out, he chose to drop the political bombshell at Baluwatar, a day after the Election Commission submitted election results to president Bidhya Devi Bhandari who is about to initiate the process of summoning parliament session and formation of the new government.

According to an central office bearer of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), Prachanda went to Baluatar saturday morning and told Deuba that he was keen to lead the new government and take the country to the path of progress and political stability, and ‘requested’ Deuba for his party and the coalition’s support.

While numerically Prachanda’s move seeking to lead the government as a third biggest party in the House of 275 is political and constitutionally untenable, it is believed that he put forward this proposal after some kind of understanding with the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist to revive left front, and go for sharing of key constitutional posts including that of the president and the vice President.

The Maoist Centre has only 32 seats in parliament compared to 89 of the Nepali congress, where as the UML has 78 seats.

Sources quoted Deuba as assuring Prachanda that he would look into the issue amicably and consult other coalition partners on the issue.

Prachanda also seems to be backing on the disgruntlement within the Nepali congress and possibility of certain anti-Deuba leaders coming to back him.