NC leaders Surendra Raj Pandey and Dilli Chaudhary appointed as the chief ministers of Gandaki and Lumbini provinces, respectively.

KATHMANDU, April 28: Two out of the seven provinces received new chief ministers (CMs) on Thursday as the power equation shifted in the provincial assemblies.

The Nepali Congress (NC) parliamentary party leader in Gandaki Province, Surendra Raj Pandey, was appointed as the CM of Gandaki Province, while another NC leader, Dilli Chaudhary, became the chief minister of Lumbini Province.

With the appointment of these new CMs, the CPN-UML, now the main opposition party in the federal parliament, lost all its chief ministerial positions. This power shift came after the CPN (Maoist Center) broke its alliance with the UML and supported the NC candidate in the presidential election.

Gandaki Province Chief Prithvi Man Gurung appointed Pandey as the new CM of the province, as a member of the provincial assembly who secured a majority with the support of two or more parties in accordance with Article 168 of the Constitution of Nepal.

The newly-appointed Gandaki CM Pandey said he would take the oath of office and secrecy at an auspicious time on Friday. The change in the balance of power in the center triggered a change in the provinces as well.

Maoist Center’s Hari Bahadur Chuman, who was the Physical Infrastructure Minister, and Resham Jugjali, who was the Tourism Minister, resigned and withdrew their support to the erstwhile provincial government led by UML’s Khagaraj Adhikari on March 24.

The Adhikari government lost the vote of confidence in the provincial assembly on April 22. There was confusion in the province as to whether to appoint the Chief Minister as per Article 168(3) or to call for the formation of a majority government as per Article 168(2). Only three days after the collapse of the erstwhile government did Province Chief Gurung call for the formation of a majority government as per Article 168(2).

Similarly, NC Parliamentary Party leader Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary was appointed as the CM of Lumbini Province. Lumbini Province Governor Amik Sherchan appointed Chaudhary as the new chief minister as per Article 168 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal. Chaudhary had earlier staked his claim to the post of Chief Minister of Lumbini Province.

Province Chief Sherchan had called on the parties represented in the provincial assembly for the formation of a new government after the chief minister of the CPN-UML-led government, Leela Giri, failed to secure a vote of confidence in the provincial assembly meeting on Monday.

The province chief had asked the provincial assembly members and parties to show a majority to stake their claim to the post of the Chief Minister and form a government with the support of two or more than two political parties within 4PM on Thursday.

With the signatures of 53 members of the provincial assembly, including eight political parties and one independent lawmaker, Chaudhary presented his claim for the same. The CPN (Maoist Center), Janata Samajwadi Party, Loktantrik Samajwadi, Nagarik Unmukti Party, Janamat Party Nepal, Rastriya Janamorcha and CPN (Unified Socialist) have lent their support to Chaudhary.

In the 87-member Lumbini Province Assembly, CPN-UML has 29 members; NC has 27; Maoist Center 11; Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Nagarik Unmukti Party four each; Janata Party, Janata Samajwadi Party and Loktantrik Samajwadi Party three each; and Rastriya Janamorcha and CPN (Unified Socialist) one each and one independent member.

 
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