RPP Denounces Support for UML-Maoist Center Coalition in Provincial Governments

The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) has firmly stated its decision not to lend support to the coalition of CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Center) in forming provincial governments. The announcement came following a crucial meeting of RPP’s office-bearers held in Kathmandu on Wednesday.

The party, in no uncertain terms, declared its stance against supporting the UML-Maoist Center coalition, which holds implications for government formation in several provinces. RPP indicated a potential willingness to support a coalition government led by the Nepali Congress, albeit without direct participation in the government.

This decision, reiterated from an earlier meeting of RPP’s central work performance committee, casts a shadow over the UML-Maoist Center’s aspirations to form a government in Gandaki Province specifically. With 29 members in the provincial assembly, the coalition requires RPP’s support to secure a majority for governance.

However, with RPP’s clear refusal to align with the UML-Maoist Center coalition, the path appears to clear for the reinstatement of Surendra Raj Pandey of the Nepali Congress as Gandaki’s chief minister. Pandey had recently resigned from his position, but with RPP’s decision, the scenario is set for his return.

Mohan Shrestha, the spokesperson for RPP, emphasized the party’s official stance against supporting the UML-Maoist Center coalition in provincial government formations.

In light of these developments, the upcoming deadline set by the Gandaki Province Chief, urging parties to stake their claims for government formation by April 10, assumes heightened significance. The political landscape in Gandaki and potentially other provinces hangs in the balance as parties strategize their next moves amidst RPP’s decisive stance.