The recent government formation in Nepal was a blatant exercise of power-driven politics — pushing the ideological aspect to the fringe. In their quest for power, all the prominent political parties jostled across each other and grabbed their share of power pie. Amid all this, it was people's mandate that underwent complete mockery. In an absolute stunner, Pushpa Kamal Dahal of the CPN (Maoist-Centre) — a party that won just 11.13 per cent of the votes and 32 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives — managed to grab the PM's post. The pre-poll alliance partner of CPN (Maoist-Centre) — the Nepali Congress — let the power slip away from its hold as it failed to bargain the PM's post for the first half of the term from ambitious Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Lest one thinks that the innocent Deuba of Nepali Congress was suddenly betrayed by Dahal, it needs to be borne in mind that Deuba himself was reported to have been in talks with KP Oli's United Marxist-Leninist (UML), because it was reluctant to allow Dahal the first two-and-a-half years of prime ministership. KP Oli's United Marxist-Leninist (UML) — the second largest party with 78 seats in its kitty — will get the post of the Speaker as well as the President in exchange for its support to the CPN (Maoist-Centre). In addition to this, KP Oli is expected to play the role of kingmaker — exercising power from the backseat. This bizarre coalition between the two communist parties came as a shock to many as it was loaded with not just opportunism but also ironies. Oli has helped the same Dahal to become prime minister who had partnered with Deuba in 2021 to oust Oli. Also, the CPN (Maoist-Centre) leader Dahal had then walked out of a coalition with United Marxist-Leninist (UML) because he was denied the post of prime minister. This time around, Oli knew how to deal with Pushpa Kamal Dahal. It was sheer political opportunism that allowed the leader of a party with a mere 11 per cent of vote share to emerge as the main pivot of government formation. The two largest parties had no other option than to caress Prachanda's high-rise ambitions. More saddening instance of opportunism came from another partner in the new coalition — Rashtriya Swatantra Party. Its leader Rabi Lamichhane — a former TV journalist — had come as a whiff of fresh air in Nepali politics, and his party defeated many big-wigs in the elections. However, the RSP couldn't withstand the tempting desire to claim a share in the power pie, even if it came through an opportunistic alliance. As for now, Rabi Lamichhane is a Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister in the new government. His submission to power politics might have shattered the hopes of Nepali people whose trust on politics already stood on shaky grounds. Lamichhane certainly had a chance to sustain his struggle. Nepal is one of the most proximate neighbours of India, with whom it shares close cultural ties. The prevailing notion is that the new power arrangement in Nepal is contrary to what India would have wanted. India is learnt to have backed Deuba. On the other hand, China must be happy with this re-unification of the two prominent communist forces in the country. In fact, reports suggest that China's vice minister for culture Li Qun had visited Nepal just a few days ahead of elections. It is visibly clear that China has an upper hand vis-à-vis India in this new power arrangement in Kathmandu. This, however, should not be considered as any major setback to India. There are two reasons to substantiate this argument. The first reason is that India and Nepal share close people-to-people cultural ties — particularly along the borders — which cannot be undone in a matter of years. Secondly, given the coming together of rival forces just for the sake of being in power, sustainability of the new regime remains highly dubious. In the first place, there is a month's time for Dahal to prove his confidence on the floor of the House. The possibility of new twists and turns in Nepali politics cannot be ruled out at this juncture. Whatever may transpire after a month, India will and should have little say in what unfolds in Nepal internally. It should be prepared to improve ties with the country, irrespective of who rules it.