Supported by Oli, Prachanda becomes the new Prime Minister of Nepal

KATHMANDU: President of the CPN-Maoist Center Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ was named Nepal’s new prime minister on Sunday, after the former guerrilla leader radically split from the ruling five-party alliance led by Nepal’s Congress, ending political uncertainty after last month’s general election failed to produce a clear winner. The surprise development may not bode well for Indo-Nepal relations, as Prachanda and his main backer, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli have had previous run-ins with New Delhi over territorial issues. Prachanda, who replaces Sher Bahadur Deuba of the Nepali Congress party, will step down in 2025, making way for UML to take over the office, local media reported.
The former Maoist guerrilla who led a decade-long insurgency against the Nepalese monarchy has been named prime minister for the third time. He will lead the new government for the first half of the five-year term with support from the opposition Communist United Marxist-Leninist (UML) party and other smaller groups, party officials said. “He has been nominated and has the support of a large majority in parliament,” said Tika Dhakal, assistant to President Bidhya Devi Bhandari. The swearing-in ceremony will take place Monday at 4 p.m., according to the president’s office. Earlier, a crucial meeting was held at former Prime Minister Oli’s residence where CPN-Maoist Center and other small parties agreed to form a government under the leadership of “Prachanda”. There was an agreement between Prachanda and Oli to lead the government on a rotating basis and Oli agreed to make Prachanda PM at the first chance as per his request.
Prachanda is considered pro-China. In the past, he said that a new agreement with India should be developed based on a “modified scenario” in Nepal and after addressing all outstanding issues, such as the revision of the friendship treaty of 1950 and the resolution of the border disputes between Kalapani and Susta. The Indo-Nepal Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1950 forms the basis of the privileged relations between the two countries. In recent years, however, Prachanda said India and Nepal need to diplomatically address some of the issues “left over from history” to realize the full potential of bilateral cooperation. His main backer, Oli, is also known for his pro-China stance. As prime minister, Oli claimed last year that efforts were being made to oust him after his government redrew the political map of Nepal by incorporating three strategically key Indian territories, a move that strained ties between the two countries. India had branded the “artificial enlargement” of Nepal’s territorial claims “untenable” after its parliament in 2020 unanimously approved the country’s new political map comprising the regions of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura which, according to India, belong to him.
The country shares a border of over 1850 km with five Indian states – Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Landlocked Nepal is heavily dependent on India for transporting goods and services. Nepal’s access to the sea is through India, and it imports a predominant proportion of its needs from and through India. pti

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