All Nepali and English newspapers published from Kathmandu on Monday have highlighted the swearing-in of provincial assembly members in all seven provinces of the country yesterday as the event occurred for the first time in Nepal’s political history. Other related news stories about next steps of provincial government formation have also been prioritised. The meeting between CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre as a part of preparations for their proposed merger has also received significant attention.
Other contemporary political, socio-cultural and economic issues have also been highlighted by the newspapers in the front page today.
Important
Provincial govts likely in next one month
With the provincial assembly members taking oath of office and secrecy yesterday, the provincial assemblies have got the legal recognition and they are now heading towards provincial government formation, almost all newspapers report.
The Himalayan Times says Article 168 (8) of the constitution has a provision that the assemblies must elect chief ministers within 35 days of the announcement of provincial assembly election results. If a single party holds majority in any assembly, the province chiefs can immediately appoint leader of the party as the chief minister, according to the report.
Likewise, Article 182 of the constitution has it that the speaker and the deputy speaker of the assembly will have to be elected within first 15 days of the first meeting of the assembly.
The first meetings of assemblies have been called on different dates, most of which are in the first and second weeks of February, according to Rajdhani.
Left alliance to prioritise new govt formation over unification
Republica, The Himalayan Times and Nepal Samacharpatra have said that the CPN-UML and the CPN-Maoist Centre diverted their attention to provincial and federal government formation process and it will apparently delay their proposed unification.
They report that a meeting of the Party Unification Coordination Committee involving top leaders of both the parties could not form two task forces to narrow down ideological differences and sort out issues related to organisational management.
THT report quotes Maoist Centre leader Matrika Yadav to say that the task forces would be formed after consulting party chairs, KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, again.
Meanwhile, the meeting endorsed the report of another task force about power sharing model for National Assembly elections, according to Gorkhapatra.
Nepal Samacharpatra says the unification process is not gaining momentum as the two parties do not have agreed on who will lead the unified party. Republica further elaborates that the unification preparations have hit the roadblock after a section of UML leaders objected to the Maoist proposal to adopt the rotational leadership model.
Modi congratulates Oli for premiership in advance
Almost all newspapers have reported that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Nepal’s ‘prime minister-in-waiting’ and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli yesterday to congratulate him in advance for his premiership.
Meanwhile, Modi also invited Oli to visit India after being elected the prime minister, Annapurna Post reports quoting Oli’s press coordinator Chetan Adhikari.
In response, Oli thanked Modi for the invitation and also extended his invitation to Modi for a Nepal visit at an appropriate time, according to him.
Ignored
Police may arrest Manange anytime
After the Supreme Court recently upheld then Patan Appellate Court’s decision to send notorious gangster Deepak Manange to jail for five years, law enforcers are preparing to nab him, according to Annapurna Post.
The newly elected provincial assembly member, however, is absconding and he was not present during the oath taking ceremony of provincial lawmakers in Pokhara yesterday also.
The Kathmandu District Court has been assigned to implement the verdict and the Court is collecting all information related to him, the newspaper quotes an official, Dhruva Kumar Dhakal, as saying.
Nepal says India has not encroached its land in Birgunj
Following reports of borderland encroachment by India in Birgunj of Parsa district, the Nepal government says it does not know such incidents, reports Gorkhapatra.
The Department of Survey organised a press meet in Kathmandu yesterday to inform that the dispute arose as rivers have been used as borders and they sometimes change their ways, leading to confusions and conflicts.
Meanwhile, the government has launched diplomatic initiatives to resolve the issue, according to Nagarik.
Interesting
China-gifted induction stoves gather dust
While Nepalis were struggling with the border blockade imposed by India in 2015-16, Chiina gifted 11,300 induction heaters as a relief to Nepal. However, the government could not properly distribute or sell them among people. Currently, 7,770 heaters are still at godown gathering dust, reports Karobar.
