POKHARA, March 9: Chief minister of Province 4, Prithivi Subba Gurung, has secured vote of confidence with ease in the provincial assembly by garnering 41 votes on Friday.

His comfortable win owes to the support from UML's left alliance partner CPN (Maoist Center). Out of the total 58 votes, Gurung was supposed to get at least 39 votes but surprisingly he garnered 41 votes in total.  There are altogether 60 members in the provincial assembly including 27 lawmakers of UML, 15 of Nepali Congress (NC), 12 of CPN (Maoist Center), three of Rastriya Janamorcha Nepal (RJN), two of Naya Shakti Nepal (NSN) and two independent members. But one independent candidate is yet to take oath of office and secrecy while the provincial assembly speaker did not take part in the voting.

As per  Article 168 (4) of the new constitution,  the newly elected chief minister needs to win the vote of confidence from provincial assembly within 30 days of appointment. Gurung was appointed as the chief minister of the province by Governor Baburam Kunwar on February 12.  

Before seeking the vote of confidence, Chief Minister Gurung had repeated the same plans and policies that he had made earlier. "We should make efforts to develop the whole nation not just our province," said Chief Minister Gurung, adding, "For that, we need to concentrate on building infrastructures." 

He also made an announcement to develop 300 villages of the province into tourism hubs in the next five years. Not just that, he also shared his plan to develop Kushma and Falebas of Parbat, Putalibazaar of Syangja, Shuklagandaki of Tanahun as satellite cities.  

 
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