KATHMANDU: In a surprise move, two of Nepal’s biggest leftist parties – the CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre – on Tuesday announced the formation of an alliance ahead of provincial and federal elections.
The two parties also said they would work for their formal merger, with an eight-member committee led by CPN-UML chairman KP Oli and CPN-Maoist Centre leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” tasked with finalising the details for this. The new party is expected to be named the Nepal Communist Party.
Other leftist parties are expected to join this new alliance, which many in Kathmandu suspect is being orchestrated by Beijing to create a political system that works in its favour. Sources said the unification bid was engineered by some leaders of both parties who are known to be friendly with China.
Analysts believe the new alliance could boost forces that oppose any role for India in Nepal’s politics and come as a setback for the government led by the Nepali Congress. The CPN-Maoist Centre is part of the ruling coalition headed by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Published in Daily Times, October 4th 2017.