Maoist Center decides to leave ruling coalition

Nepal's Maoist Center has decided to leave the ruling coalition, according to Nepali Congress senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel. He quoted Maoist Centre Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal who has said that the "coalition has lost its relevance".

Confirming the decision of the Maoist Centre, Paudel said that Pushpa Kamal Dahal walked out of the coalition meeting on Sunday after saying that "the coalition has lost its relevance".

After he walked out of the ruling coalition meeting, which was started with the aim to reach an agreement on government formation, Dahal met the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) president and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and held a meeting.

Confirming the news of Dahal walkout, Maoist Center's press secretary said, "Agreement hasn't been reached."

After Dahal walked out, the ruling coalition meeting ended without any conclusion.

"The meeting of the ruling coalition ends. No decision has been made," leaders, who were present in the meeting earlier said.

Meanwhile, Maoist Centre's General Secretary Dev Gurung threatened Nepali Congress that they will "walk out" from the coalition if the latter remained adamant on their demand to hold both positions of the president and prime minister.

"If the Congress is adamant on their demand of holding the position of President and PM then there's no need for a coalition. We would simply walk out from it," Gurung told on Sunday.

"This same statement was made in Saturday's meeting and is also conveyed today. We have come to the conclusion in the meeting to walk out of the coalition in case the same instance is repeated. Still, the final decision would be made by the party chairman in the meeting," he added.

Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has been insisting that he should lead the government while Nepali Congress has been adamant about its position of leading the government as the largest party.

There are multiple possibilities that could be seen after 5 pm. President Bidya Devi Bhandari can add more time for the consensus or the parties can ask for some more time.

There is also the possibility that the President can appoint Sher Bahadur Deuba as Prime Minister for being the party leader with a majority of seats in the parliament.

In case, Deuba is appointed then he will have to prove a majority on the floor of the House within 30 days. If he failed to form the government then the nation would head for another round of elections as no party has the majority, thus inviting a constitutional crisis in the country.