Kathmandu, August 20
Kiran Thapa has been appointed chief minister of Bagmati Province with the support of the CPN-UML, Nepali Communist Party (NCP) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP).
Bagmati Province Chief Dipak Prasad Devkota appointed Thapa chief minister on Thursday under Article 168(2) of the Constitution.
Thapa had staked his claim to form the provincial government on Wednesday with the support of 63 provincial lawmakers from the three parties.
Devkota had invited a member of the provincial assembly who could command a majority with the support of two or more parties to stake a claim for the chief minister’s post by 4 pm on Thursday.
However, the RPP’s support for the new government has triggered an internal dispute within the party.
The RPP has expelled its parliamentary party leader in Bagmati, Uddhav Thapa, from the party. The party’s central leadership had rejected the decision to support the new government, arguing that the provincial parliamentary party had taken the decision without central approval.
The RPP central office had sent a letter to Province Chief Devkota on Wednesday clarifying that the party had not decided to support any party in the province.
Despite the dispute, the Province Chief’s Office issued a statement on Thursday announcing Thapa’s appointment and the schedule for his swearing-in.
Thapa is the seventh chief minister of Bagmati Province.
During the first term of the provincial assembly, Dor Mani Paudel of the CPN-UML became chief minister in 2017, followed by Asta Laxmi Shakya in 2021. After the UML split, Rajendra Prasad Pandey of the CPN (Unified Socialist) became chief minister in the same year.
During the second term, Shalikram Jammarkattel of the CPN (Maoist Centre) became chief minister in 2022, followed by Bahadur Singh Lama of the Nepali Congress in 2024 and Indra Bahadur Baniya of the Nepali Congress in 2025.
