KATHMANDU: Prime Minister (PM) Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ is taking a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives meeting today.

This marks the third time Prime Minister Dahal is seeking a vote of confidence during his current term.

The Prime Minister is initiating this vote following a reconfiguration of the power coalition.

On December 25, 2022, CPN-UML designated him as Prime Minister for the third time.

The five parties involved in the ruling coalition are prepared to express their confidence through the vote today.

Prime Minister Dahal is anticipated to secure support from 151 Members of Parliament, with contributions from 76 from CPN-UML, 32 from Maoist Center, 21 from Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), 12 from Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP), and 10 from Unified Socialist.

The Prime Minister’s secretariat on Sunday sent a letter to the Federal Parliament requesting for the necessary arrangement to this regard.

It should be noted that in a parliamentary party meeting held on Saturday, PM Dahal discussed the matter with party leaders, indicating his readiness to seek a vote of confidence by the specified date.

Furthermore, the party has issued a whip to its lawmakers, instructing them not to leave the Kathmandu Valley in the days leading up to the election of the National Assembly Chairman and the anticipated date for PM Dahal’s floor test.

The House of Representatives (HoR) has been summoned for a session on March 13.

The House of Representatives is constitutionally allowed to have 275 members, and a vote of confidence requires a majority, i.e., more than half.

This necessitates at least 138 votes. Therefore, for the Prime Minister to secure a clear majority, 150 votes are required.