NC divided over new PM candidate

KATHMANDU, Jan 16: With the withdrawal of the party´s prime ministerial candidacy, Nepali Congress (NC) is caught in a fresh dispute over whether to field Ram Chandra Paudel as the party´s candidate in the new election for prime minister.



While the party´s establishment faction has maintained that Ram Chandra Paudel in his capacity as the parliamentary party leader should continue to be the prime ministerial candidate, leaders close to Sher Bahadur Deuba are against Paudel´s candidacy. [break]



Deuba faction maintains that it would not be appropriate to field Paudel as candidate yet again as he had failed to garner majority votes in parliament even after 16 rounds of voting.



An emergency meeting of NC Central Working Committee had withdrawn the candidacy of Paudel hours before the scheduled 17th round of prime ministerial voting in parliament on Wednesday following a request from Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and UCPN (Maoist).



The debate over prime ministerial candidacy in the party has surfaced after over two dozen leaders at a meeting called by Deuba at the latter´s residence in Budhanilkantha stressed on the formation of consensus government.



“Nepali Congress should take initiatives to form a national consensus government under the party´s leadership. Anyone who can garner support from other parties should be fielded as the prime ministerial candidate from the party,” said Gopal Man Shrestha, who also attended the meeting. “Anyone, including Gopal Man, Deuba or Paudel can be the prime ministerial candidate, but not necessarily Paudel alone.”



Sources said Deuba told at an informal gathering that it was likely that a consensus government could be formed under his leadership. He reportedly argued that only a consensus government can deliver the new constitution.



CWC members close to Deuba are set to raise their voices against Paudel´s candidacy in the party´s CWC meeting.



Leaders from the establishment faction of the party, however, term Deuba´s claim “meaningless”.



“The party´s statute clearly states that parliamentary party leader should be the prime ministerial candidate. Deuba´s claim has no meaning,” said a CWC member close to the establishment faction. The CWC member, asking to be unnamed, also said that the CWC meeting scheduled to be held after a few days will endorse Paudel´s candidacy yet again.



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