Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' asked to resign; CPN-UML withdraws support

Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Wednesday (July 6) was asked to resign by Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba. Prachanda has been asked to pave the way for the formation of a new government.

As per reports, this comes as the ruling coalition partner CPN-UML withdrew support after striking a power-sharing deal with the largest party to oust the PM.

PM should resign: Deuba

Speaking to the press after a crucial party meeting at his residence at Budhanilkantha on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Deuba said, "The Prime Minister should resign after the largest parties NC and UML said that they would form a new government together".

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"Our party has withdrawn support to the government," said Bishnu Rijal, deputy chief of CPN-UML's publicity committee.

All the UML ministers have tendered their resignations to the prime minister, he revealed. 

The party has eight ministers in the Prachanda government: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth, Padam Giri the Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and others. 

CPN-UML joined the Prachanda government on March 5, after the Prime Minister ditched its year-long partnership with the Congress. 

Nepali Congress and Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) join hands

Deuba of the Nepali Congress and K P Sharma Oli, Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) on Monday (July 1) signed a power-sharing deal to establish a new government. The two parties have agreed to share the Prime Ministerial position on a rotation basis for the rest of the Parliament term.

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While the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the 275-member House of Representatives, at present has 89 seats, the CPN-UML has 78 seats. Their combined strength of 167 is more than the 138 seats needed for a majority in the lower house.

Meanwhile, the Prachanda government has only 32 seats.

(With inputs from agencies)