BIRATNAGAR, Aug. 7: Koshi Province Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki will remain in office after CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli decided to back his continuation, bringing an end—at least for now—to an internal party dispute over the province's leadership.
The decision was reached during talks between Oli and Karki, according to UML lawmaker Rewati Raman Bhandari.
"Oli has agreed to let Karki continue as chief minister for the time being, although the leadership could be reviewed later if circumstances require," Bhandari said. "Any future change will depend on consensus and political necessity."
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The decision has effectively defused a power struggle within the UML that had cast uncertainty over the future of the Koshi provincial government.
Speaking to reporters after returning to Biratnagar on Thursday, Karki pledged to implement the agreement reached with the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) and said a new coalition government would be formed within the next few days.
The UML is also preparing to begin talks with the Nepali Congress (NC) from Friday on the withdrawal of its ministers from the provincial government.
Despite an agreement between the UML and the NCP to form a new coalition in Koshi, NC ministers have yet to resign, largely because of the leadership dispute within the UML.
Bhandari said the NC ministers would step down through mutual understanding, after which the UML and the NCP would negotiate the allocation of ministerial portfolios before reshuffling the provincial cabinet. He expressed confidence that a joint UML-NCP government would be in place within a week.
The leadership row had intensified in recent days after Oli proposed UML parliamentary party deputy leader Til Kumar Menyangbo as Karki's replacement. To advance the proposal, Oli dispatched Koshi Province in-charge Sherdhan Rai to Biratnagar last Saturday.
Rai had reportedly been urging Karki to resign to pave the way for a leadership change. However, after provincial leaders failed to reach a consensus, Oli summoned Karki and other senior UML leaders from Koshi Province to Kathmandu for discussions, culminating in Friday's decision to retain the incumbent chief minister.
