CPN (Maoist Center) leader Barsha Man Pun has said the opposition parties will now claim to form a majority government as per Article 76(2) of the Constitution.
Speaking with reporters after the meeting of Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba and Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal at the NC parliamentary party office in Singha Durbar on Monday, Pun said that the parties will now stake claims for majority government after Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli fails the floor test.
Pun accompanied Dahal and NC Chief Whip Bal Krishna Khand Deuba during the meeting.
President Bidya Devi Bhandari will have to invite parties to form majority government if Oli fails the floor test as expected. "NC will continue discussion with other parties after that," Khand stated.
The current strength of House of Representatives (HoR) is 271 after CPN (Maoist Center) expelled four lawmakers who joined CPN-UML after the Supreme Court (SC) invalidated unification of UML and Maoist Center on March 7.
Ruling UML currently has 121 lawmakers, NC 63 (but two are suspended), Maoist Center has 49 (including Speaker), JSP 34 (including two suspended) and three lawmakers are independent.
The parties will need to get 136 votes to form majority government which does not look possible without support of the Thakur-Mahato faction of JSP.
