Former premier and leader of the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) Sher Bahadur Deuba will contest the country's Prime Minister, party sources said. Deuba, who is also an NC lawmaker, said he would contest the post in a bid to inject new blood and accountability into the party, amid renewed calls to put an end to a drawn-out Maoist insurgency.
Deuba announced his candidacy in Janakpur district, 240 kms southeast of Kathmandu on Wednesday.
His decision to compete for the Congress chief executive post comes as a straight challenge to incumbent President and Prime Minister, Girija Prasad Koirala, who had declared on Tuesday that he would fight to keep his seat. The contest for the country's highest post between the two top partymen has brought a simmering inner-party conflict into broad daylight, observers said.
For some time now, Congress has remained a house divided over the question of its party leadership.
A tug of war has raged between rival factions of the party - led by Koirala on one side and two-time premier krishna prasad bhattarai on the other. “While Bhattarai - who has criticised Koirala for filling his cabinet with incompetent Yes men - gave up his ambition to head the party,” Koirala wanted to hold onto two posts - party president and prime minister.
Elections are scheduled for January next year when the party holds its 10th national convention outside Kathmandu.
Bureau Report