POKHARA, June 12: Prithvi Subba Gurung, the caretaker chief minister of Gandaki Province and parliamentary party leader of the CPN-UML, has also laid his claim for new government formation in Gandaki Province. 

Gurung, who lost a vote of confidence on Thursday, submitted a letter to Province Chief Sita Kumari Poudel on Saturday afternoon. He claimed to have the support of the Rastriya Janamorcha (RJM) and Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP). 

Krishna Chandra Nepali Pokharel, the parliamentary party leader of the Nepali Congress, staked his claim for the post of chief minister, on Friday after Province Chief Poudel called upon the members of the province assembly to stake claim for a new government. The deadline which she extended expired at 3PM Saturday. 

Though two of three members belonging to RJM and two other members voted against CM Gurung’s trust motion on Thursday, he attached two separate letters --- one by RJM’s Krishna Thapa and the other by the Thakur faction of the JSP -- along with this claim. The RJM [except for Thapa] and JSP lawmakers, however, signed the letter submitted by NC’s Pokharel on Friday. As many as 31 lawmakers of the opposition alliance comprising the NC, CPN (Maoist Center), JSP and RJM reached the Office of Province Chief in person and extended their support to Pokharel. Rajiv Gurung aka Dipak Manange also joined the opposition alliance to propose Pokharel as the new CM. 

In the 60-member provincial assembly, a chief ministerial candidate is required to put together the support of at least 31 lawmakers. The ruling UML has 27 members while the main opposition NChas a total of 15 members. Similarly, there are 11 members of the Maoist Center (excluding Speaker), 3 of RJM and 2 others of JSP. 

 
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