Nepal’s Politics Hits Another Bump, Instability Fears Grow

NEW DELHI: Nepal elects a new president on Thursday and it appeared the current incumbent Bidya Devi Bhandari would be re-elected given that Prime Minister Prachanda was backed by K P Sharma Oli, Communist leader and her strong backer. But Prachanda has done a U-turn, indicating his backing of Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Paudel. What happened? In this chat on The Gist, veteran Nepali journalist Yubaraj Ghimire points to the old animosity between Prachanda and Oli, which the Chinese have never been able to overcome. He also makes the point that India’s effort in Nepal has been to ensure the communists never come together. Does that mean India is behind the current political maneuvers? It could be. Not to forget, India has tended to favour the Nepali Congress and ties with its current leader Sher Bahadur Deuba are good. He was until three months ago, prime minister. Tune in for more in this conversation with Yubaraj Ghimire.