HETAUDA, Aug 25: A dispute has intensified within the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) in Bagmati Province over ministerial appointments and power sharing, putting Chief Minister Kiran Thapa Magar under pressure ahead of a planned vote of confidence.
Several NCP lawmakers, including parliamentary party deputy leader Krishna Sharma Khanal and Ganga Narayan Shrestha, skipped Monday’s provincial assembly meeting. NCP parliamentary party leader Shalikram Jamkattel has also expressed dissatisfaction, accusing the party of making unilateral decisions without adequate consultation and failing to ensure fair power sharing.
Jamkattel acknowledged that internal disagreements led some lawmakers to stay away from the meeting.
The assembly meeting, scheduled from 1 pm to 8 pm, could not take place because of the dispute over power sharing and ministerial appointments. Deputy Speaker Apsara Chapagain has called the next meeting for Tuesday at 4 pm.
According to an UML lawmaker, Khanal, Shrestha, Urmila Lama, Ruku Chaulagain, Laxman Lamsal, Rajendraman Shrestha and Yubraj Chaulagain are among the dissatisfied NCP lawmakers.
The dispute has centered on the vacant Speaker’s post and one remaining ministerial position. The Speaker’s position has been allocated to the NCP under the power sharing agreement with the UML. Khanal and Shrestha are among the contenders.
Of the two ministries allocated to the NCP, Saral Sahayatri Poudel has been appointed minister for Economic Affairs and Planning. The party is yet to name the second minister. Jamkattel is under pressure to appoint a leader from the former CPN Unified Socialist, with Rama Ale Magar emerging as his choice.
Khanal and Shrestha had also sought the chief minister’s post before the UML secured it under the coalition arrangement.
The RPP’s internal division has further complicated matters. Chief Minister Thapa needs 53 votes in the 104-member assembly to win the confidence vote.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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