Janakpurdham/Dhangadi, February 3

The first meeting of four provincial assemblies is starting tomorrow. Final preparations in provinces 2, 5, 6 and 7 are complete. The meetings will be convened at the temporary headquarters Janakpur, Butwal, Birendranagar and Dhangadi respectively.

The first PA meeting of Province 2 will be held in the Education Training Centre in Janakpur tomorrow. An all-party meeting of the province finalised the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting and reached agreement that the third PA meeting would elect the speaker.

Senior-most PA member Laganlal Chaudhary will conduct the meeting by first reading out the letter from the governor summoning the PA session. Then the meeting will observe a minute of silence commemorating martyrs. This will be followed by passing the interim work procedure of the PA.

While the meeting will also appoint a few PA members to conduct meetings in the absence of the speaker, one representative each from all parties in the assembly will be allowed to speak. The meeting will also form a Provincial Assembly Regulation Drafting Committee tomorrow.

According to Parliament Secretariat Joint-secretary Banshiraj Poudel, the next PA meeting will be held on February 12. “Once the meeting ratifies the regulation draft, the third PA meeting will be held on February 14 and speaker and deputy speaker’s election will be held,” he said. A four-member team led by Joint-secretary Poudel had imparted training to employees and marshals. While a specially trained team of 55 personnel will be deployed on the premises of the meeting venue, 21 marshals will be in the meeting hall.

The first meeting of Province 5 will begin at 1:00pm at the meeting hall of Butwal chapter of Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Senior-most PA member Baldev Sharma Pokhrel will conduct the Provincial Assembly.

According to the Parliament Secretariat in Province 5, the PA’s first meeting has two important businesses. One, of passing the interim work procedure-2018 on Provincial Assembly proceedings and the next, of announcing February 11 as the date for electing the speaker.

Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal lawmaker Sahasram Yadav said the interim work procedure will be passed and the date for electing the speaker will be fixed.

Parliament Secretariat Secretary in Province 5 Surendra Aryal said representatives of six parties would also address the assembly as per the schedule.

Province 5 has 87 lawmakers — 52 directly elected and 35 from the proportional representation system.

The first meeting of Province 6 will be held at the meeting hall of the office of Irrigation Division in Birendranagar, Surkhet. Provincial Assembly Secretariat said a list of three businesses had been readied. The first meeting will set the date for election of the speaker and pass necessary work procedure for the PA. Only four lawmakers will speak at the maiden meeting. Similarly, three lawmakers will be selected to run the House in the absence of the speaker. The date for the speaker’s election will be set for February 12. The first meeting will be chaired by senior-most member Him Bahadur Shahi. The PA Secretariat Secretary Krishna Hari Khadka said the Provincial Assembly has 40 members and 40 marshals will be deployed.

Province 7 Secretariat Secretary Laxmiram Paudel said that the maiden meeting at the meeting hall of District Coordination Committee Kailali will deliberate work procedure of the PA and election of the speaker. PA Secretariat Deputy Secretary Jhalak Sharma Sapkota said five members will be nominated to run the assembly in the absence of the speaker. The meeting will set the date to elect the PA Speaker.

Sapkota said senior-most member Dibyashwori Shah will chair the first meeting. Since the left alliance has majority, the CPN-Maoist Centre has recommended Trilocahn Bhatta for the post of chief minister.

(With inputs from Surkhet and Bhairahawa reporters)