DHANGADI, July 27: The CPN-UML and the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) are working to finalize the formation of a new government in Sudurpaschim Province. With the chief minister's post set to go to the NCP, leaders say the two parties are discussing the allocation of the remaining ministries.
There is a strong possibility that NCP Sudurpaschim Province Parliamentary Party leader Khag Raj Bhatta will become the next chief minister. Bhatta has also traveled to Kathmandu for discussions with senior party leaders. He left on Saturday to consult party Coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal and other NCP leaders.
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Bhatta said the process of forming the new government would begin after Chief Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah resigns. He said the NCP and UML are currently holding discussions on government formation and the distribution of ministerial portfolios. The NCP Parliamentary Party meeting had already decided on July 15 to ask Shah to step down and pave the way for a new government.
The NCP and UML have urged Shah to facilitate the formation of the new government by resigning immediately. The budget presented by Minister for Economic Affairs Bikram Singh Dhami in the Provincial Assembly at midnight on June 15 failed to pass due to disputes among the ruling coalition partners, leaving the province without a budget. Chief Minister Shah's government had been reduced to a minority after the NCP and UML joined hands.
The 53-member Provincial Assembly consists of 22 NCP members, 18 Nepali Congress (NC) members, 11 UML members and one RPP member. Former Chief Minister Dirgha Bahadur Sodari of the NCP has been suspended, while NC lawmaker Prakash Bahadur Deuba is currently abroad. Dr. Tara Joshi, who was elected as an independent from Dadeldhura, has resigned, leaving one seat vacant.
A minimum of 27 votes is required to form the provincial government. The NCP and UML together have 32 members in the Assembly, giving them a comfortable majority.
