KATHMANDU, JANUARY 8

Chief of Province No.1 Parshuram Khapung has appointed Province No. 1 Parliamentary Party (PP) leader of CPN (UML) Hikmat Kumar Karki as the Chief Minister of the Province this evening.

Province Chief Khapung appointed Karki to the post as per the Article 168 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal.

Earlier, UML PP leader Karki had submitted his claim before the Province Chief along with the signatures of majority of lawmakers of the Province Assembly.

UML had 40, while 13 of the CPN (Maoist Centre), six of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and one of Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) backed for Karki's appointment as the Chief Minister.

The letter of the claim was submitted to Province Chief Khapung bearing the signatures of UML PP leader Karki, CPN (Maoist Centre) PP leader Indra Bahadur Angbo, RPP PP leader Bhakti Prasad Sitaula and JSP's Nirmala Limbu.

The Chief Minister-elect Karki would be sworn in at 2:00 pm Monday at the Office of the Province Chief.