Nepali Congress gears up to stake claim to PM post

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THE DECISION to form a new government was taken after the office bearers of the Nepali Congress met on Tuesday.

Kathmandu, May 12: Main Opposition party, the Nepali Congress, has decided to stake a claim for the prime minister’s post and is engaged in hectic parleys 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 K.P. Sharma Oli lost a crucial trust vote.

The decision to form a new government was taken after the office bearers of the Nepali Congress (NC) met on Tuesday under the leadership of party president Sher Bahadur Deuba.

The Office of President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Monday said she has decided to invite parties to form a majority government pursuant to Article 76 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal.

On Tuesday, Deuba held a meeting with the opposition leaders and discussed ways to form a new government under

his leadership. The meeting was attended by CPNMaoist Centre chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP-N) second president Upendra Yadav.

Prachanda indicated that his party would support Deuba to become Prime Ministerial candidate. However, JSP-N with its 32 seats in the 271member House of Representatives is divided on the issue of supporting Deuba as the new prime minister.

Nepali Congress with 61 seats in the House of Representatives and Maoist Centre with 49 seats cannot form a majority government without the support of JSP-N.