Nepal PM Deuba wins trust vote, Modi extends best wishes

In Nepal, newly appointed prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba won the vote of confidence. In a sudden move on Sunday, Deeba seeks vote of confidence in the reinstated lower House of Representatives and comfortably won it, averting a general election in the Himalayan nation amidst the Covid pandemic. A total of 136 votes were required for Deuba to win Parliament’s confidence. He had to seek a trust vote within one month after being appointed as prime minister. However, in a surprise move, he sought a vote of confidence on the first day of reinstated House. As many as 249 lawmakers participated in the voting process and 83 of them voted against Deuba while one lawmaker remained neutral.

Deuba’s failure to win the trust vote in the House would have led to the dissolution of the House and snap polls within six months in Nepal, which is facing an unprecedented health crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Sunday's outcome of the trust vote paves the way for Prime Minister Deuba to remain in office for the next one and a half years until a fresh parliamentary election is held, the Nepalese media reported. Previously, Deuba has served as the prime minister on four occasions; first from 1995 to 1997, then from 2001 to 2002, again from 2004 to 2005, and from 2017 to 2018. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Deuba on his success.

Congratulations Prime Minister @DeubaSherbdr and best wishes for a successful tenure. I look forward to working with you to further enhance our unique partnership in all sectors, and strengthen our deep-rooted people-to-people ties.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 18, 2021