Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal set to seek vote of confidence from House of Representatives

 This comes after Prachanda dumped the Nepali Congress and forged a new alliance with the nation's Communist Party (Unified Marxist-Leninist)

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda: File image

PTI, Kathmandu, 12.03.24 : Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, alias Prachanda, is all set to seek a vote of confidence from the House of Representatives on Wednesday, days after he dumped the Nepali Congress and forged a new alliance with the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist).

Prachanda, a former guerilla leader belonging to the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), the third largest party in the House, on Sunday sent a letter to the parliament secretariat to this effect.

According to constitutional provisions, Prime Ministers have to take a vote of confidence after any ally withdraws support.

Prachanda is required to prove his majority after he lost the support of the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the House.

The new government requires at least 138 votes in the 275-member House to win the vote. Wednesday’s vote will be the third by Prachanda, 69, since he assumed office in December 2022.

The Prachanda-led coalition government currently enjoys the support of 150 members in the lower house of parliament.

The second-largest party in the House, the CPN-UML, led by former Premier K.P. Sharma Oli, has 76 seats, while the CPN-Maoist Centre has 32.