No end to Nepal deadlock

Frustrated at repeated failures, Nepal’s Maoist party chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ bowed out of the deadlocked prime ministerial poll last week.

Updated on: Sep 21, 2010, 02:20:55 IST

Hindustan Times | By Utpal Parashar, Kathmandu

Share via

Copy link

Frustrated at repeated failures, Nepal’s Maoist party chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ bowed out of the deadlocked prime ministerial poll last week.

Although his party and CPN-UML, the third largest party in parliament, with which it signed a deal, will stay away from voting to break the deadlock, the stalemate is unlikely to end soon.

On Monday, Constituent Assembly Chairman Subhash Nemwang told Prachanda that no change in the ongoing poll process, which allows repeated voting, is possible till the second candidate also leaves the race.

The Maoist chief had asked Nemwang to amend the interim constitution to find a way out of the continuing impasse.

“The parliamentary regulations can’t be amended under the current circumstances,” Nemwang told journalists after the meeting.

But although Prachanda withdrew from the race claiming to seek a solution through consensus, Nepali Congress candidate Ram Chandra Poudel hasn’t shown any indication of calling it quits.

The eighth round of voting to elect the prime minister will take place on September 26.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

Get the latest headlines from US news and global updates from Pakistan, Nepal, UK, Bangladesh, Russia and US Iran war Live, get all the latest headlines in one place on Hindustan Times.