India’s immediate neighbour Nepal is once again back in the news for political instability. Yet again there is a new prime minister. Political stability has constantly eluded Nepal. The power games that the leaders with inflated egos play resemble musical chairs. In the ever-changing power dynamics, deals are made and unmade in quick succession. The latest political drama in the tiny Himalayan nation led to the fall of the government headed by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, following his failure to win the vote of confidence. Under the watchful eyes of China, which played a role in brokering a peace deal among the communist parties, the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), KP Oli, makes a comeback. According to the deal, Oli will govern for a year-and-a-half and set the ground for constitutional amendments, and then hand over power to the Nepali Congress’ Sher Bahadur Deuba to oversee the 2027 elections.
India has been closely watching the developments unfolding in Nepal, particularly in view of the growing anti-India rhetoric and the pro-China tilt that the neighbouring country has taken in the recent past. While India is comfortable to strike terms of mutual understanding with Prachanda, Oli’s reentry will call for caution. In his tenure as prime minister in the past, he was known for his pro-China views and this was evident from the foreign policy outlook of his leadership of the CPN-UML too. Oli has served as the prime minister of Nepal on two occasions, from 2015-’16 and 2018-’21, before being ousted by the Supreme Court in a controversial ruling.