CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'
At a time when the vote counting is reaching the final stage, top leaders of major political parties have started doing homework for a new power-sharing.
Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN (UML), which emerged as the biggest parties in the recently-held twin elections, have started approaching the CPN (Maoist Center), the third biggest party, for the formation of a new government.
Maoist Center leaders have been divided over whether to join the government or only extend support to the party seeking to form a new government, staying outside it.
Some leaders are of the opinion that the Maoist Center has to join the government on its own leadership even by forging a new alliance -- the alliance with UML. Some are suggesting that they should stay outside the government as the mandate is not in their favor.
Maoist Center leaders, who met with party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal recently, suggested to him not to go for the formation of the new government stating that the result of both the first-past-the-post and proportional representation (PR) votes is not in their favor.
"We have not received the sufficient mandate to form the government," Vice Chairman Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who is also the spokesperson of the party, told Nepalkhabar, adding, "The NC and UML have received seats to form the government. Since they have not received an absolute majority required to form the government, they are approaching us."
The other group has been saying that they are under compulsion to give continuity to the existing alliance as they contested both the federal and provincial elections under the democratic-left alliance.
"The democratic-left alliance does not end immediately," said a Maoist Center leader, adding, "The office-bearers' meeting will take place after a few days, review the elections and take an appropriate decision."
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who is doing homework to form a new government, held a meeting with Prachanda at Baluwatar on Saturday. In the meeting with Prachanda, Deuba told him to form a new government based on this existing alliance. In response, Prachanda told him that they would discuss it once the final result is out.
Some leaders have advised Prachanda to form a new alliance on the condition that Maoist Center will be given to lead the next government.
Maoist Center has won 17 FPTP seats and received over one million PR votes so far.
Likewise, UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and Prachanda had held a telephone conversation on Thursday (November 24).
In a half-an-hour-long conversation, the heavyweights discussed the future political scenario and possible alliance between the left-wing parties, sources have said.
