CPN (UML) parliamentary party leader for Gandaki Province Assembly, Khagaraj Adhikari, has presented a claim for an appointment as the Chief Minister for the province before Province Chief Dilli Raj Bhatta.
His claim for the Chief Minister is supported by 31 PA members, according to UML parliamentary party chief whip for the province, Govinda Nepali. Those PA members supporting Adhikari include 22 of the UML, eight from the CPN (Maoist Center) and the remaining one is independent. In the 60-member Gandaki PA, the confidence of at least 30 members is needed to be appointed as the Chief Minister.
Last Thursday, Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey tendered his resignation before the Province Chief and then the Province Chief called on political parties to stake a claim for the appointment to the post by April 9. The coalition partners presented the claim before the deadline.
Pandey who was from the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the Gandaki with 27 members, resigned from the post after it was assessed that he was not going to get a vote of confidence which was mandated with the NC's erstwhile coalition partner Maoist Center's decision to withdraw its support to him.
The Rastriya Prajantra Party (RPP) which has two members in Gandaki is still undecided whether to support a new government or not.
