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Nepali Congress President and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur held a meeting with the party leaders close to him on Friday to discuss power sharing. Deuba met the leaders to make a concrete decision after CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal refused to give up his claim for the post of prime minister and to make future strategy. Prime Minister Deuba held a meeting with Vice-President Purna Bahadur Khadka, Prakash Man Singh, Bal Krishna Khand, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, Umakanta Chaudhary and Dila Sangraula. The 15 day-time given by President Bidya Devi Bhandari to form a new government is expiring on Sunday. The leaders suggested Deuba to not leave the post of prime minister under any circumstances. “We have given a suggestion that a new government should be formed under the leadership of the Nepali Congress as the largest party of the Parliament. He will not budge from his stance,” a leader, who took part in the meeting, said. Earlier, this morning CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had told leader Singh, who had reached Dahal’s residence in Khumaltar to discuss power sharing, that he wanted the post of prime minister at any cost. Dahal also warned that he would leave the coalition if he did get the coveted post.    

Hours after holding a meeting with CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Nepali Congress leader Prakash Man Singh reached Baluwatar on Friday afternoon to meet Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. During the meeting, leader Singh told Deuba that Dahal will not budge from his stance of becoming the prime minister easily. According to a Baluwatar source, Prime Minister Deuba said that he would hold a serious discussion with the leaders of the ruling coalition on the issue soon. It has been understood that Dahal wants to become the prime minister with the support of the ruling coalition as much as possible or else he is preparing to lead the government with the help of the CPN-UML and some fringe parties. Dahal has been holding consultations with Prime Minister Deuba and UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli parallelly to become the prime minister. Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Deuba, Dahal and CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Nepal discussed possible power sharing. President Bidya Devi Bhandari has called upon the political parties to form a new government by December 25.

CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and acting Chinese ambassador to Nepal Wang Xin held a meeting at the former’s residence in Khumaltar on Friday. The meeting with a high-ranking official of the Chinese Embassy has been taken meaningfully at a time when Dahal has been expressing his reluctance to leave the post of prime minister. The acting Chinese ambassador expressed his concern over the role of the Maoist Center in the possible power sharing and government formation. In response, Dahal said that he has been working to form a new government under his leadership and he has been holding consultations with the senior leaders of the Nepali Congress for the same. Earlier this week, Wang Xin held a meeting with Rastriya Prajatantra Party Chairman Rajendra Lingden. On the occasion, he discussed a possible scenario of power sharing with Lingden. New Chinese ambassador to Nepal Cheng Song will arrive in Nepal on December 27.

A fierce dispute has erupted between the Nepali Congress and the CPN (Maoist Center) on who will become the prime minister in the first phase. The Congress leaders have been trying to convince Maoist Center Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal after he expressed his reluctance to leave the prime minister in the first phase. NC leader Prakash Man Singh reached Khumaltar on Friday to hold a discussion with Dahal on the same issue. It has been learnt that Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba sent Singh to Khumaltar to discuss with Dahal on his side. Deuba has been trying to persuade Dahal through various ways but Dahal is adamant on his stance of not quitting the post. During the meeting held this morning, Singh told Dahal that Deuba should be made the prime minister in the first phase. Congress leader Singh had said that they would share other posts in consensus after making Deuba the prime minister. But, Dahal said that national and international agencies are on his side and decided not to leave his stand of being the prime minister in the first phase. “You are all aware that we are also having discussions with the CPN-UML. Deubaji is still the prime minister. I will be the prime minister now and Deuba will become the prime minister after two years,” a leader said, quoting Dahal. During the meeting with Singh, Dahal warned that a crisis could emerge in the coalition if he did not become the prime minister in the first phase from the ruling alliance.