Nepal's PM Prachanda likely to visit India next month on his first overseas trip: Report

 The visit will take place in mid-April after Prachanda seeks a vote of confidence and expands his Cabinet

PTI, Agencies, 16 March 2023, Kathmandu : Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ is likely to travel to India on an official visit next month – his first foreign trip since assuming the office for the third time in December last year, a media report said on Thursday.

Though the official date of his visit to India is yet to be announced, boosting bilateral ties and talks on trade, energy, agriculture, culture and air service will prominently feature in his talks with Indian leaders.

Sources close to the 68-year-old Prime Minister said that his visit to India in the near future is in the cards and the date would be fixed once the Prime Minister gets a vote of confidence from the House of Representatives.

“The visit will take place after the PM seeks a vote of confidence and expands his cabinet,” a source said.

Earlier, the Prime Minister had announced that he would visit India on his first foreign trip after assuming the post. The Prime Minister is seeking a vote of confidence from the Parliament on March 20.

His meeting with Indian leaders is expected to be focused on topics such as trade, energy, agriculture, culture, and air service. 

The date of the 68-year-old Prime Minister's visit to India will be fixed once he gets a vote of confidence from the House of Representatives, PTI quoted sources as saying.

"The visit will take place after the PM seeks a vote of confidence and expands his cabinet," a source said. As for now, the tentative date for the visit is around mid-April.

Quoting an official at the Foreign Ministry, the Kathmandu Post newspaper reported that the groundwork for the visit and meetings with ministries to prepare the agenda have already begun. The newspaper reported, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has started preparations for the visit."

Prachanda, along with his daughter Ganga Dahal and his son-in-law, visited India in July last year at the invitation of BJP national president JP Nadda under the "Know BJP" campaign. He had also spoken with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during the visit.

Taking to Twitter, Nadda had said, “It was an honour to welcome Shri Pushpa K Dahal “Prachanda”, Former PM of Nepal and to interact with him today at the BJP HQ in New Delhi as part of ‘Know the BJP’ initiative."

Prachanda was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Nepal on December 26 last year after he walked out of the pre-poll alliance led by the Nepali Congress and joined hands with opposition leader KP Sharma Oli.

However, their alliance was short lived after Prachanda decided to support senior Nepali Congress (NC) candidate Ram Chandra Paudel for the President's post. With the support from the NC and the eighty-party alliance, the Prachanda-led government is expected to comfortably survive the vote of confidence in Parliament.

The eight-party alliance includes the Nepali Congress, CPN-Maoist Centre, CPN-Unified Socialist, Nagarik Unmukti Party, Janamat Party, Janta Samajwadi Party, Lokatantrik Samajwadi Party and Rastriya Janamorcha. Prachanda needs only 138 votes in parliament to continue his term as the prime minister.