On December 20, Nepal Prime Minister K P Oli recommended  dissolution of the House of Representatives, the lower of Parliament, a move promptly approved by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari. This effectively ended the unity forced among the left forces that had led to the creation of the single, grand Nepal Communist Party three years ago. It plunged national politics into turmoil & the five-year-old Constitution into uncertainty. It raised questions about the haste with which the President approved Oli’s recommendation. Oli took the step when he realised that a factional feud within the party had reached the point of no return & he faced possible expulsion both as party chief & as Prime Minister. Since then, a dozen petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the dissolution with two years left of the present House’s tenure. Each faction has also approached the Election Commission claiming it is the real party.