CPN (Maoist Center) Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal (File Photo)
KATHMANDU: Two recent statements of CPN (Maoist Center) Chairperson and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal have gained significant interest in the party circle. First, his claim of not joining the government before the 2027 election, and second, his proposal to compile a list of voters who supported the party in the first Constituent Assembly election in 2008.
Maoist leaders themselves admit these statements lack substance, while analysts view them as natural reactions to the discomfort of being out of power in both federal and province governments.
Addressing a party event in Kathmandu last week, Dahal said he won’t become Prime Minister again until the next election. “Some may think I will become Prime Minister again if given the chance. I have resolved to engage with the people until 2027 to build the party organization and ensure its victory. I have had enough of being Prime Minister for now,” Dahal said.
Prachanda has also discussed plans to contest the 2027 election independently in the meeting of the party’s office-bearers. He claimed that this strategy would strengthen the Maoist Center and send an important message about establishing good governance.
Maoist leaders themselves are skeptical about the implementation of these statements. Maoist Center Secretary Ganesh Sah believes such declarations can’t be trusted due to the fluid nature of political calculations. “We are not saying we won’t join the government. We are just saying that the party is not lobbying to ascend to power in the current circumstances,” Shah explained. “If the national circumstances change, we might need to join the government.”
Dahal has instructed party workers to compile a list of voters who supported the party in the 2008 Constituent Assembly election when the party emerged as the largest political force in the country. “We need to visit the homes of those who voted for us in 2008. First, make a list and contact everyone. We need to make a self-assessment with them,” Dahal said in a party meeting in Kathmandu. “We should say, ‘You placed great hope in us and gave us many votes. We couldn’t deliver as promised. Now we have corrected our mistakes. We want to fight for good governance and your interests. Please support us once more.”
Political analyst Mumaram Khanal attributes Dahal’s changed rhetoric to the discomfort of losing power.
Dahal said only this approach will make the Maoist Center the leading party again.
Despite his history of favoring coalitions while in power, Dahal is saying that his party will now contest elections independently. Maoist Center leaders find this stance unconvincing but see the proposal to contest elections alone positively. “When Nepali Congress (NC) proposed to contest elections independently, Dahal changed the coalition. Now he is talking about going solo,” a Maoist Center office-bearer said. “It looks like a good idea, but doesn’t seem feasible.”
Maoist Center contested the 2008 and 2013 elections independently. It has since relied on alliances. The decisions of NC and UML to contest the upcoming elections independently may have forced Dahal into this position.
Political analyst Mumaram Khanal attributes Dahal’s changed rhetoric to the discomfort of losing power. Khanal believes it is natural for Dahal, who is used to being in power, to change his stance when sidelined. “Dahal is trying to gain sympathy from party workers and keep them happy. This explains the changes in his speech and appearance,” Khanal said.
