JANAKPURDHAM, Dec 3: The Madhesh Provincial Assembly session scheduled for Wednesday was suspended until 2 PM due to the absence of ruling party members.
Deputy Speaker Babita Kumari Raut convened the session at 8:30 AM, which started two hours late, but had to suspend it after Chief Minister Saroj Kumar Yadav failed to appear.
Madhesh CM Yadav wins vote of confidence
The session was called after CM Yadav sent a letter to the Provincial Secretariat seeking a vote of confidence. On November 10, the then Madhesh Province Chief, Sumitra Subedi Bhandari, appointed Yadav as Chief Minister at a hotel in Bardibas in Mahottari, recognizing him as the leader of the largest party, UML parliamentary party.
However, seven parties, including the Nepali Congress, challenged Yadav’s appointment as unconstitutional. A total of 74 lawmakers filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court (SC) seeking its annulment.
The SC issued a mandamus on Monday directing CM Yadav to seek a vote of confidence from the Madhesh Provincial Assembly within 24 hours. CM Yadav said he received the official order from the Province Chief’s office at 3 PM on Tuesday and sent a letter to the Secretariat requesting arrangements for the confidence vote.
