The oath-taking ceremony for Chief Minister of Sudurpashchim Province, Dirgha Bahadur Sodari, has been uncertain after CPN (Unified Socialist)'s term with CPN (UML) turned sour following the by-elections.
A meeting of the Province Assembly of the province is scheduled to take place at 5 pm today.
A meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) which is responsible for setting agendas for the province meeting could not take place.
“We are ready to face the vote of confidence. But UML is reluctant to attend today’s meeting,” Sudurpashchim Parliamentary Party leader of CPN (Maoist Center) Man Bahadur Dhami said, “As things stand, the meeting of the province assembly scheduled for today will be canceled.”
UML has been maintaining that it will not give the vote of confidence to Sodari.
CPN (Unified Socialist) parliamentary party leader Sodari had been appointed as the Chief Minister of Sudurpashchim Province on April 18 in line with Article 168 (2), with the backing of the ruling coalition.
A constitution provision has it that the chief minister has to take the vote of confidence within one month of the appointment.
Sodari had staked a claim for the post of Chief Minister with the support of 27 lawmakers including four from the Unified Socialist, 10 from UML, 10 from Maoist Center two from Nagarik Unmukti Party (Ranjita faction) and one independent lawmaker Dr Tara Prasad Joshi.
In the 53-member province assembly, the support of 27 lawmakers is required to take the vote of confidence.
The arithmetic equation has become even stronger after Daman Bahadur Shahi of UML was elected to the Sudurpashchim Province Assembly from Province Assembly 1 of Bajhang constituency 1. However, the Unified Socialist’s term with UML has turned sour following the by-elections.
Unified Socialist had fielded Dil Bahadur Singh as candidate in Bajhang 1 against UML’s candidate Daman Bahadur Shahi. However, Singh could not save even his deposit. At least 10 percent of votes of the total valid votes cast must be obtained to save the deposit.
Meanwhile, the parliamentary party of Nagarik Unmukti Party has issued a whip to its lawmaker duo Kailash Chaudhary and Tika Thapa, who are loyal to Ranjita, not to cast votes for Sodari.
These lawmakers are the incumbent ministers in the Sudurpashchim Province government.
