CPN (UML) parliamentary party (PP) leader Hikmat Karki has staked claim for the post of chief minister of Province 1.
Karki submitted the claim with Province Chief Parshuram Khapung for the post with the support of the CPN (Maoist Center) within the given deadline.
A total of 60 lawmakers including 40 lawmakers from the UML, 13 from the Maoist Center, six from Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), and one from the Janata Samajbadi Party sported Karki in his claim to the post.
Prime Minister and Maoist Center Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli reached the agreement on the leadership of the province on Sunday morning.
According to the agreement, the UML will lead the provincial government for the first half of the five-year term and the Maoist Center will take the helm in the second half of the term.
Former Minister for Internal Affairs and Law, Karki had been elected as a lawmaker to the Province Assembly of Province 1 from Jhapa-5.
He is a standing committee member of the UML. He is considered close to UML Chairman Oli.
On January 1, Governor Khapung had called on the parties to submit claim for the post of chief minister in accordance with Article 168 (2) of the constitution.
In the 93-member province assembly, 47 lawmakers are required to form the government in the province. The UML has 40 seats, Maoist Center 13, RPP 6 and JSP has 1 seat.
Similarly, Nepali Congress has 29 seats and CPN (Unified Socialist) has four seats in the province.
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