PM Dahal seeking vote of confidence today

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is seeking a vote of confidence in the meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) scheduled for today.

The federal parliamentary secretariat has already made necessary preparations to this effect. The HoR meeting is scheduled to be held at 11 am today.

The Prime Minister is going to seek the vote of confidence again today after the Nepali Congress withdrew the support extended to the Prime Minister with the change in the ruling coalition on March 4.

Dahal, also the chairperson of the CPN (Maoist Centre), was elected the Prime Minister on 25 December 2022. He had taken the vote of confidence on 10 January 2023.

Out of the 270 lawmakers present in the Parliament, 268 gave a vote of confidence to PM Dahal. At the moment, all the parties, including Nepali Congress had given him a vote of confidence.

During the presidential election, the ruling coalition changed again. CPN-UML, Rastriya Swatantra Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party withdrew their support to the government. Prime Minister Dahal had again taken the vote of confidence on 20 March 2023, after the change of the ruling coalition. He had secured 172 votes at the HoR.

After the change of alliance again on 4 March, the then ruling partner Nepali Congress now has reached the opposition. The party has withdrawn the vote of confidence. CPN-UML, CPN (Maoist Centre), Rastriya Swatantra Party, Janata Samajwadi Party and CPN (Unified Socialist) have formed a new alliance.

Prime Minister Dahal, who has the support of the new alliance, is going to take a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives today. The parties affiliated to the alliance have also issued whip to give a vote of confidence to the Prime Minister.

In the HoR, UML has 78 lawmakers, Maoist Centre 32, Rastriya Swatantra Party 21, Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal 12 and Unified Socialist 10.

Chairperson of Nagarik Unmukti Party and parliamentary party leader Ranjita Shrestha has also issued a whip to vote for PM Dahal.

On this basis, the Prime Minister will easily get a vote of confidence.

The Prime Minister needs 138 votes to trust him. The parliamentary secretariat has included PM Dahal’s vote of confidence as a possible agenda for today’s meeting of the HoR.