Nepal Maoist chief too busy to celebrate victory

After leading his party to a surprise victory in the landmark Nepal polls, Maoist supremo Prachanda is now tackling a busy schedule, unable even to spare time to celebrate his victory or interact with the media.

Prachanda, or the 'fierce one', whose real name is Pushpa Kamal Dahal, hardly came out of his house at Nayabazar in Kathmandu, heavily guarded by his People's Liberation Army personnel.

Except holding a brief press meet soon after his victory from Kathmandu-10 and Rolpa-2 constituencies, the Maoist leader, who has vowed to abolish the Himalayan nation's 240-year-old monarchy within a month, did not have much time even for the media.

A close aide said the 54-year-old former schoolteacher has an extremely busy schedule and dozens of people are in queue to meet him. "He (Prachanda) is in no hurry to talk to the media," he told PTI.

Prachanda had a meeting with Indian Ambassador Shiv Shanker Mukherjee, who went to congratulate him at his residence.

The Maoist chairman also met human rights activists and went to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's Baluwatar residence to thank him for successfully conducting the historic constituent assembly elections.

Unlike the Maoist number two leader and prime ministerial candidate Babuarm Bhattarai, who went to Gorkha in the west to celebrate his victory and thank the voters, Prachanda could not spare time to go to Maoist stronghold Rolpa.