The Bharatpur vote counting row burst onto the scene as top leaders of three major parties addressed the Legislature-Parliament on Tuesday, hours before Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba was elected the new prime minister.

While CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli spent a considerable amount of time lashing out at the Nepali Congress and the CPN (Maoist Centre), charging the alliance-led government with shenanigans in relation to among others Bharatpur vote counting incident, Deuba chose a brief answer. Outgoing Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal took his time to respond.

Oli came quite prepared, as he made some scathing remarks against the NC-Maoist Centre alliance.

“They have failed to abide by the democratic process on a number of issues,” he said, cataloguing the impeachment motion against the chief justice and the Bharatpur incident among others.

Oli refrained from naming the Maoist Centre but said tearing of ballot papers was tantamount to dishonouring the people’s mandate. He also took a potshot at Dahal, saying “it would have been better had we been informed beforehand about the places where we were not supposed to win”.

Dahal’s daughter Renu Dahal is the mayoral candidate in Bharatpur Metropolitan City against the UML’s Devi Gyawali.

“I asked Deuba as to what position his party held on the Bharatpur incident, but he would not say,” said Oli. “I asked the same question to Prime Minister Dahal and he would say he had instructed the concerned authority to initiate action.”

Oli took serious exception to what he said a smear campaign to label the UML as “an anti-Madhes party”. “It is the Congress party which has been deserted by several leaders in the past many years,” he said. Taking a jibe at Dahal, Oli said the outgoing prime minister may count achievements but the groundwork was laid by the UML government. 

When it was Deuba’s turn, he hardly spent 10 minutes, contrary to Oli’s about 90-minute-long speech. 

On Bharatpur incident, Deuba said “such things happen”.  “The UML has moved the court and we will abide by the court order.”

On impeachment motion, Deuba said it has been withdrawn so “let’s not talk about that”. On handover of the government leadership, Deuba said Dahal resigned “as per our deal”. “You seem so concerned about Dahal’s resignation, we expect your similar concern in future,” Deuba said, taking a dig at Oli. 

When Dahal came to address the House after Deuba, he picked it up from where Oli had left. 

Starting with the Bharatpur incident, Dahal said there was no need to kick up a stink about it. “The matter is sub judice.” He said he was extremely concerned the moment he came to know about the Bharatpur incident and that he had told his daughter Renu that there was no need to worry as “with the defeat also she would emerge victorious”. Dahal also charged the UML with having an inflated ego. “It seems the UML has an inflated ego. This benefits none, not even the UML,” he added.

The positive from the top leaders’ speeches was, however, all of them appeared to be on the same page regarding elections and constitution implementation.