Prachanda fails to win Prime Ministerial election even in 6th attempt

Kathmandu, Sep.5 (ANI): Nepal's former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda failed to register a win in the prime ministerial election, for the sixth time in a row here on Sunday.

With the loss of their chairman, Prachanda, Nepal's opposition Maoist party's manoeuvre to divide the regional parties and ride to power again on their support backfired.

The former guerrillas blamed India for the failure, even before the controversial election had commenced. They accused India's intelligence agency--Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)-- of plotting to ensure Prachanda's failure in the election.

The election has already invited charges of floor-crossing, horse-trading and backstabbing.

Even as Prachanda's party is the largest in parliament with 236 members, he could poll only an additional four votes from other parties. He fell short of 60 more votes to become Nepal's 34th prime minister.

While 101 MPs voted against Prachanda, 163 stayed neutral.

The rival Nepali Congress parliamentary party chief Ram Chandra Poudel, received just 122 votes while 242 MPs voted against him and 172 sat on the fence. (ANI)