Uddhav Thapa, the leader of the Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party, has submitted a claim for the post of Chief Minister of Koshi Province five days after the Supreme Court annulled his appointment as the Chief Minister.
On behalf of the ruling coalition, Thapa reached Province Chief Parshuram Khapung and laid claim to the post of Chief Minister with the support of 47 MPs, including Baburam Gautam, who resigned as Speaker on Tuesday.
On July 27, after the Supreme Court dismissed Thapa's appointment as Chief Minister, Province Chief Khapung gave him time until 5:00 pm on Tuesday to submit a claim for the formation of a new government with two or more parties in accordance with Article 168 (2) of the Constitution.
After reaching Biratnagar from Kathmandu, he went to the Secretariat of the Province Assembly and tendered his resignation to the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Sirjana Danuwar.
The support of 47 MPs was required to form the government in the 93-member Koshi Province Assembly.
A total of 47 MPs including 29 from Congress, 13 from Maoist Center, four from Unified Socialist and one from Janata Samajbadi Party have signed in support of Thapa.
There are 40 CPN (UML) MPs and six Rastriya Prajatantra Party MPs in the province. Earlier, the Supreme Court's on July 27 dissolved the government led by Thapa was appointed as the Chief Minister on June 6, after Speaker Gautam in favor of him.
The SC had issued a ruling to the Province Chief to form a new government by August 2 in accordance with Article 168(2) of the Constitution.
In line with the order, Province Chief had given 5 pm deadline today (August 1) to lay claim to the post of Chief Minister.
After the then Chief Minister Hikmat Karki did not receive a vote of confidence, the government formed under the leadership of Uddhav Thapa on June 6 was dismissed by the Supreme Court on July 27 on the ground of being unconstitutional.
The Thapa-led government was sacked within 22 days, and the alliance fielded him as the chief minister yet again.
Thapa, who hails from Jhapa, is a Member of Parliament under the proportional representation category in the Province Assembly.
In the Koshi Province Assembly, there are 40 MPs from UML, 29 from Congress, 13 from Maoist Center including Speaker, six from RPP, four from CPN (Unified Socialist) and one from JSP.
