Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: CPN (Maoist Center) General Secretary Dev Gurung has said there is the possibility of Maoist joining hands with other parties to form the government if consensus eludes the ruling coalition.
Talking to Himal Press, Gurung, however, said he was hopeful that the coalition will reach an understanding to form the next government.
He also said that the coalition was yet to hold a serious discussion about government formation. When asked whether reaching consensus means forming a government under party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Gurung said: “Nothing has been discussed in the coalition yet.”
Meanwhile, leaders of CPN-UML and Maoist Center held a discussion on government formation on Sunday. Maoist Center is studying the prospect of forming a government with UML after NC hinted that it won’t withdraw its claim to the PM post.
Though the two parties are said to have agreed in principle to hold the PM post turn by turn, both Dahal and Deuba want to lead the government.
Maoist Center General Secretary Dev Gurung and Deputy General Secretary Janardan Sharma Sunday held discussions with UML vice Chairman Bishnu Poudel and Secretary Shankar Pokharel. It is said that the talks focused on forming a coalition to form the next government.
UML is said to be open to allowing Maoist Center to form the government first. In such a situation, the party has asked all its lawmakers to reach Kathmandu within two-three days. “As the President has already invited parties to make their claims to form a government, talks on government formation have also intensified,” a source at UML told Himal Press.
UML leaders are saying in public that they would stay in the opposition as per the people’s mandate.
NC is the largest party in the House of Representatives with 89 seats, followed by UML with 78 seats and Maoist Center with 32 seats. Likewise, Rastriya Swatantra Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Janata Samajbadi Party have 20, 14 and 12 seats, respectively while CPN (Unified Socialist), Janamat Party and Loktantrik Samajbadi Party have 10, six and four seats, respectively.
Rastriya Jana Morcha and Nepal Workers and Peasants Party have one seat each, while there are five independent lawmakers in the lower house.
