KATHMANDU: Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli lost a confidence vote in parliament on Monday, the speaker said, pitching the country into political turmoil at a time when it is battling a major second wave of coronavirus infections.

Oli's moderate communist party split from former Maoist rebels in March after differences cropped up over its power-sharing deal, wiping out their governing majority. Political parties will now try to cobble together a new ruling coalition.

Parliament speaker Agni Sapkota said that of 232 lawmakers present, 93 voted in favour of Oli while 124 were against him and 15 did not vote. "The confidence vote sought by Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli has been rejected," Sapkota said at the end of the counting of ballots.

The head of the main Maoist group, who goes by his nom de guerre of Prachanda, accused the 69-year-old premier of sidelining party leaders, ignoring collective decision-making and undermining the role of parliament.

"He has created instability and is behind the crisis the country is facing now," Prachanda said. "He does not have the confidence of parliament any more."