His CPN-Maoist Centre, the third largest party in Parliament with 82 seats, has the backing of the Nepali Congress, the largest party with 207 seats. Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba proposed Prachanda’s name while Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara seconded it. Earlier, the Communist Party of Nepal-UML, the second largest party in Parliament, had said it would field a candidate for the post but it decided on Tuesday not to file any nominations. However, the cautious SLMM will not join the Maoist-led government even though Prachanda and Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba requested it to become part of the coalition. Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda”, the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Center, was the sole candidate to file his nomination on Tuesday for the election to the post of prime minister.

Source: Hindustan Times August 02, 2016 14:48 UTC