BIRATNAGAR, Sept 8: Province Chief Parashuram Khapung has prepared to appoint CPN-UML parliamentary party leader Hikmat Kumar Karki as the chief minister (CM) of Koshi Province.

According to the Supreme Court's order on Thursday in accordance with Article 168(3) of the Constitution, Hikmat Kumar Karki, the leader of the parliamentary party of CPN-UML will be officially appointed as the CM.

Narendra Shrestha, acting secretary of the Chief Minister's Office stated that the oath-taking ceremony is at 6PM today. Karki, who led the first government formed after the second election to the provincial assembly for five months, was dismissed on June 30 after failing to get a vote of confidence. He was appointed as CM on January 9.

Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party (PP) leader Uddhav Thapa was appointed as the Chief Minister of Koshi Province for the first time on July 6. However, on July 28 Supreme Court (SC) revoked the appointment of Uddhav Thapa as Chief Minister of the Koshi provincial government.

Then, as Hikmat Karki failed to receive a trust vote, leader Thapa claimed the position of CM. Thapa was appointed as the chief minister of Koshi Province on August 1 for a second time.Thapa took the vote of confidence on August 21.

The legal dispute emerged following Chief Minister Uddhav Thapa's confidence vote on August 21. The UML party took the matter to the Supreme Court after Israel Mansuri, the senior-most member of provincial assembly who chaired the assembly’s trust vote session, also cast a vote of confidence in favor of Chief Minister Thapa. On September 7, the Supreme Court invalidated the vote of confidence received by Chief Minister Thapa, leading to his immediate removal from office and re-appointment of Karki to the post of CM.

 
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