Nepal’s Prime Minister Prachanda Faces Challenges as Janata Samajbadi Party Withdraws Support

The Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) in Nepal, led by Ashok Rai, has decided to withdraw its support from Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda. This decision comes just before a crucial vote of confidence scheduled for next week.

On Friday evening, the JSP informed the Prime Minister of their decision, and two ministers from the party, Pradeep Yadav (Minister for Health and Population) and Nawal Kishor Sah Sudi (Minister for Forest and Environment), along with State Minister for Health Hasina Khan, submitted their resignation letters.

The JSP, a newly formed party, has seven members in the House of Representatives. With the withdrawal of support from major allies, Dahal’s minority government now has a total of 62 votes in favor. The Maoist Center, led by Dahal, has 32 votes, the Rastriya Swatantra Party has 20, and the CPN-Unified Socialist has 10 seats.

Earlier, on July 3, the CPN-UML (Unified Marxist Leninist), a key ally, left the government to form an alliance with the Nepali Congress. Dahal had previously formed his government with the support of the CPN-UML after parting ways with the Nepali Congress on March 4.

Despite the challenges, Dahal has decided to seek a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives on July 12. He has sent a letter to the Parliament Secretariat to make arrangements for the vote.