Biratnagar, December 27
After Bagmati Chief Minister Dor Mani Paudel, his counterpart in Province 1, Sher Dhan Rai, is also facing a no-confidence motion from within the ruling Nepal Communist Party.
As many as 37 lawmakers of the NCP’s Dahal-Nepal faction registered the motion at Assembly Secretariat this morning, proposing Bhim Acharya as the new chief minister.*
Chief Minister Rai, a member of the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli-led faction of the party recently divided over the dissolution of the House of Representatives, has not only lost the majority support in the Provincial Assembly but also in the NCP parliamentary party with the majority of the lawmakers supporting the Dahal-Nepal faction.
After learning that the faction was planning to file the no-confidence motion, Rai removed Financial Affairs and Planning Minister Indra Angbo from his cabinet on Saturday. It provided the opponent faction with a proper environment to head for the motion more quickly.
On Sunday morning, three other ministers from Rai’s cabinet–Jeevan Ghimire, Jasamaya Gajmer, and Bijaya Kumar Bishwas–announced their resignation from the cabinet, extending their support to the Dahal-Nepal faction.
The Province 1 Assembly has 93 lawmakers whereas 67 of them were from the NCP when it was united. After the split, more than 40 lawmakers have supported the NCP’s Dahal-Nepal faction, pushing Rai to a clear minority.
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*Updated
