Rajeev Gurung alias Deepak Manange has become a minister one day after he quit the CPN (Unified Socialist) led by Madhav Kumar Nepal.
Manange on Sunday filed an application at the Provincial Parliament Secretariat on Sunday seeking a status of an independent lawmaker yet again.
Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey appointed Gurung as the Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Management on Monday.
This ministerial portfolio was lying vacant after Chief Minister Pandey relieved Maoist Center’s Minister Resham Bahadur Jugjali of his post.
He had been elected as a member of the Province Assembly of Gandaki Province from Manang -B in provincial assembly elections held in 2022. He had joined the Unified Socialist on December 5, 2022, three weeks after his election to the lawmaker, following a shift in the balance of power in federal governments.
He announced to have quit the Unified Socialist effective from Sunday itself. Manange said he quit the Unified Socialist to become an independent lawmaker not to let Gandaki Province be impacted by the shift in the power balance in the central government.
As things stand, the new ruling coalition formed by UML-Maoist Center on March 5 cannot form a new government.
Gandaki Province might go for mid-term elections in case a new government could not be formed following the dissolution of the current government. Manange made it clear that he is not in favor of the mid-term elections.
Chief Minister Pandey brought Manange into to his camp after the new ruling coalition failed to garner a required majority to form a new government.
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