Key Takeaways:

• 16 UML lawmakers signed proposal under Article 25 of party statute
• Proposal cites dissatisfaction with Thapaliya's leadership role
• Deputy Speaker Apsara Chapagain, Madhusudan Poudel expressed verbal support
• Move triggers internal process for leadership change in Bagmati UML

HETAUDA, AUGUST 13 A majority of CPN-UML lawmakers in the Bagmati Provincial Assembly have backed a move to replace parliamentary party leader Jagannath Thapaliya, proposing Kiran Thapa Magar as his successor. A total of 16 lawmakers have signed a proposal seeking to initiate a no-confidence process against Thapaliya and select Thapa Magar as the new parliamentary party leader. The proposal was submitted under Article 25 of Part Five of the Bagmati Province Parliamentary Party Statute. The lawmakers said they had sought a change in leadership due to dissatisfaction with Thapaliya's role as parliamentary party leader. The proposal also acknowledges his contribution to date while calling for the process to replace him to begin immediately. The 16 signatories are Anand Kumar Shrestha, Kiran Thapa Magar, Krishna Prasad Silwal, Jayaram Thapa, Dinesh Chandra Devkota, Prem Bhakta Maharjan, Bindu Shrestha, Bharat Bahadur KC, Bharati Kumari Pathak, Maili Tamang, Maya Kumari Karki, Raghunath Maharjan, Rameshwar Shrestha, Shakuntala Shrestha, Hari Prasad Sapkota and Gyan Bahadur Tamang. According to the proposal, Deputy Speaker Apsara Chapagain and Madhusudan Poudel have also expressed verbal support. Those who have not signed the proposal include Thapaliya, Ek Lal Shrestha, Shukmaya Tamang, Balkumari Bishwakarma, Thula Thami, Keshab Pokhrel and Urmila Sunuwar. The move now puts the UML's parliamentary party leadership in Bagmati under an internal challenge, with the proposed change requiring the process stipulated in the parliamentary party statute to proceed.