Himalayan chessboard: India fishes for advantage in unstable Nepal

What will increase Indian influence in Nepal is to recognise that it is a brother nation bound by unbreakable historic, cultural, religious, and linguistic ties

A perception that India is supporting ongoing instability in Nepal is likely to alienate its people and political parties. Media reports in India indicate that “political and government sources” prefer mid-term general elections in Nepal.

The current political turmoil in Nepal has grown out of a leadership challenge to Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli from within his own party, the Nepal Communist Party (NCP). He has converted it into a larger institutional crisis by dissolving Parliament. 

However, Nepal’s constitutionally elected Pratinidhi Sabha or Parliament can legally continue for its full five-year term. A new government can yet be formed