KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 24

Barely two months after CPN-Maoist Centre Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal forged alliance with CPN-UML to form the government, he distanced himself from the UML and decided to back the Nepali Congress candidate for the president, effectively reviving the old alliance with the NC.

Dahal's party, which contested November 20 parliamentary and provincial elections as partner of the five-party alliance led by the NC, left the alliance on December 25 when the NC refused to give Dahal any of the two key posts - the president or the prime minister. NC told Dahal that it would give him the chance to lead the government only in the second half of the HoR's five-year tenure.

In a meeting held this evening at the PM's residence in Baluwatar, six other parties, including the Madhav Kumar Nepal-led CPN (Unified Socialist), the Upendra Yadav-led Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal, the Mahantha Thakur-led Loktantrik Samajbadi Party-Nepal, the CK Raut-led Janmat Party, the Ranjita Shrestha-led Nagarik Unmukti Party, and the Chitra Bahadur KCled Rastriya Janamorcha supported Dahal's proposal to back NC candidate for the post of president.

Eight parties, including the NC and the CPN-MC, decided to support NC's presidential candidate this evening following two rounds of meeting.

LSP-N leader Rajendra Mahato told THT that the PM said his efforts to forge consensus on presidential candidate did not materialise, as UML Chair KP Sharma Oli, with whom he had held talks for two hours today, was determined to field his own candidate for the post of president.

The PM said CPN (US) Chair Madhav Kumar Nepal and LSP-N Chair Mahantha Thakur were also keen on the president's post, but since the NC was the largest party in the House of Representatives, it would be appropriate to support the NC's candidate for the post.

The PM said since the NC had got nothing in the power sharing deal, they deserved the president's post.

CPN (US) leader Prakash Jwala, who attended the meeting, told mediapersons that the attending parties left it to the NC to choose its candidate for president.

It is highly likely that the NC would field Ramchandra Paudel for the top post. Presidential election has been scheduled for March 9.

Asked if the new development marked the beginning of a new coalition, Jwala said the PM told the meeting that the development was a turning point in terms of alliance. 'The PM said that they wanted to begin a new political journey to achieve goals of prosperity and political stability to provide better service to public and for the sake of independence,' Jwala added.

Asked if there was an agreement for dividing the five-year tenure of the prime minister between the CPN-MC, the NC, and the CPN (US), CPN-MC leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha said he did not know of that and any power sharing deal would be decided by the three top leaders -- NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba, PM Dahal, and Nepal.

CPN-UML leader Pradeep Kumar Gyawali told THT that today's political development would create political instability.

'Our political leaders' tendency to switch sides at the drop of a hat will create a sense of frustration among the public,' Gyawali said. Asked if his party would continue to remain in the current coalition led by Dahal, Gyawali said his party would hold its secretariat meeting before taking a call on this.

Candidates wishing to contest presidential elections will have to file nomination papers tomorrow. All the constituents of the new alliance are likely to support the JSP-N candidate for the vice-president.

An electoral college consisting of federal lawmakers and members of provincial assemblies elect the new president.

Federal lawmakers and members of provincial assemblies have different vote weightage in the electoral college.

New coalition has enough votes required to elect a new president.

A version of this article appears in the print on February 25, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.