Just twelve days after forming the Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Balendra Shah has reshuffled the cabinet seniority. Following Shah's recommendation, President Ram Chandra Paudel adjusted the rankings on Tuesday under Article 76(9) of the Constitution of Nepal.
The reorganization significantly alters the hierarchy among the 14 ministers. While Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle retains his position at number two, other top rankings have shifted: Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal rose to third, while Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha climbed to fourth.
Conversely, Home Minister Sudhan Gurung went down to fifth, and Physical Infrastructure Minister Sunil Lamsal moved to sixth position. Similarly, Law Minister Sobita Gautam jumped from 12th to 7th. Women’s Minister Sita Badi surged from last place to 8th while Federal Affairs Minister Pratibha Rawal improved to 9th.Health Minister Nisha Mehat and Education Minister Sasmit Pokharel have been placed 10th and 11th, respectively.
Tourism Minister Khadkar Raj Paudel fell to 12th, while Communications Minister Dr Bikram Timilsina dropped to 13th in the ranking. Agriculture Minister Geeta Chaudhary and Labor Minister Deepak Kumar Sah now rank 14th and 15th.
New Seniority of the Council of Ministers
1 Balendra Shah- Prime Minister
2 Swarnim Wagle - Finance
3 Shishir Khanal - Foreign Affairs
4 Biraj Bhakta Shrestha - Energy & Irrigation
5 Sudhan Gurung - Home Affairs
6 Sunil Lamsal - Physical Infrastructure
7 Sobita Gautam - Law & Justice
8 Sita Badi - Women & Children
9 Pratibha Rawal - Federal Affairs
10 Nisha Mehat - Health & Population
11 Sasmit Pokharel - Education & Science
12 Khadkar Raj Paudel - Tourism & Aviation
13 Dr Bikram Timilsina - Communications & IT
14 Geeta Chaudhary - Agriculture
15 Deepak Kumar Sah - Labor & Social Security
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