Koirala elected NC PP leader

KATHMANDU, JAN 27 -Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala defeated senior party leader Sher Bahadur Deuba in the vote on Sunday to claim the party’s Parliamentary Party leadership, paving the way to becoming the country’s next prime minister.

After its failure to pick a unanimous party leader, the NC went to the poll on Sunday with Koirala and three-time former Prime Minister Deuba in the fray for the post.

With party Vice President Ram Chandra Poudel throwing his weight behind him, Koirala won the race against Deuba by a margin of 16 votes. According to the Congress party statute, parliamentary party leader is the natural candidate for the post of prime minister. Following his victory on Sunday, Koirala is widely seen as the country’s next prime minister. Being the party leader of the largest party in the CA, Koirala will preside over the PM post but it will be difficult for him to reach a power-sharing agreement within the party and CPN-UML, the second largest party.

Poudel, who had miniscule support base inside the party, had extended his support to President Koirala at the last moment on Saturday. Amid fears that the election would further polarise the party, Koirala assured that the Congress will remain unified in the days to come. “The democratic exercise we just completed will strengthen the party,” said Koirala, insisting on working in the spirit of consensus, dialogue, unity and reconciliation.

Poudel was offered to work as acting party president in the absence of Koirala. Deuba, also vying for the same position, was denied by the Koirala camp citing the provision of party charter which consequently led the two leaders to go for the poll.

Leaders were busy trying to forge an understanding on a unanimous candidate before Sunday’s vote at party’s Parliamentary Office inside Singha Durbar. They even pushed back the polling time of 8.30am by two hours. But those efforts fell through as neither leader was ready to budge.

Of the total 194 valid votes, Koirala secured 105 against Deuba’s 89, confirmed Dilendra Badu, the election commissioner.

Following the result, the Deuba camp also concluded that the idea of troika inside the party formally collapsed on Sunday after Poudel extended his support to Koirala. “There are only two power centres in the party now—one led by Koirala and the other by Deuba,” said a leader, adding that the future course of the party will be based on the equation of the 105 and 89 votes.

“Our calculation was that we would secure around 110 votes but some of our friends defected to the rival camp,” said a leader from the Koirala camp. Immediately after the result, Deuba congratulated Koirala on his victory as the PP leader.

Afterwards talking to the media, Koirala said: “It was the victory of the party, all its members and the democracy not me alone. I will lead the party with support of all the friends.”

The NC won 196 seats in the CA, with both Koirala and Deuba emerging victorious from two constituencies.

Labels: Highlight, News