By Our Reporter
The Nepali Congress which emerged as the largest party in the November 20 elections but failed to form government in the centre as well as in all seven provinces is now eying the post of president.
It has been applying all measures to woo the CPN-Maoist Centre and Prime Minister and its chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ to get the post of President. The party that gave the vote of confidence to the Prachanda in a dramatic way on January 10 did not file its candidacy for the post of the National Assembly vice chairman when the ruling alliance picked Urmila Aryal of the Maoist Centre for the post. Aryal got elected unopposed on Monday. Had there been a candidate from other parties in place of Aryal, NC would surely have contested the election. Obviously, NC did not file its candidacy for the NA Deputy Chair in the hope of getting the support of the Maoist Centre in the presidential election scheduled for March 9. Earlier, NC had filed its candidacy for the post of Speaker and Deputy Speaker in the Lower House.
When the NC as well as the CPN (Unified Socialist) have been applying every measure to break the present alliance, a rift has already been noticed in the ruling coalition. Rastriya Swatantra Party has quit the government while all the three Terai-based parties in the coalition are not happy with Prime Minister Prachanda. Moreover, CPN-UML chair KP Sharma Oli who was suspicious of the NC’s decision to give a vote of confidence to PM Prachanda is now suspicious of the PM. The relations between Prachanda and Oli turned sour after the latter exerted pressure on the former to reappoint Rabi Lamichhane as Home Minister. Lamichhane had lost the post of the lawmaker as well as Deputy PM and Home Minister following the Supreme Court verdict of January 27.
PM Prachanda himself has given a clear message that he would not accept ‘Oli’s yes man’ in the post of President after Oli picked his loyal Dev Raj Ghimire for the post of Speaker. PM Prachanda has been advocating for a consensus candidate for the top post.
When no one can become President without the support of the Maoist Centre, the PM could be decisive in the election of the President.
Thus, Nepali Congress is confident of getting the top post. Prachanda probably does not want to repeat the mistake of electing the UML leader to the top post because of the humiliation he underwent from President Bidya Devi Bhandari in the last two years.
Again, the international forces want a non-communist in the top post, and they may be making exercises on the issue. And when Prachanda does not feel safe from Oli, he is likely to help the NC candidate, because if the UML withdraws its support given to the government, NC will come to rescue it. And if he helps a non-communist to become the President, the international forces may also feel comfortable working with him.
However, one has to wait till March 9 to see who will become the next president and the fate of the present coalition of the Maoist Centre and the UML.
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