BUTWAL, MAY 2
Lawmakers of the Nepali Congress, the CPN-Maoist Centre, the Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal, and Rastriya Janamorcha today staged a sit-in in front of the Office of Lumbini Governor in Butwal to protest Chief Minister Shankar Pokhrel's reappointment.
Agitating lawmakers condemned Pokhrel's unconstitutional and undemocratic reappointment as the chief minister following his resignation earlier today. They have proposed CPN-MC leader Kul Prasad KC as the new chief minister. They have urged Governor Dharmanath Yadav to appoint KC as the new chief minister and administer him the oath of office and secrecy.
Forty-two lawmakers -18 from the CPN-Maoist, 19 from the NC, two from the Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal, two independent lawmakers, and one from the Rastriya Janamorcha -- have signed a petition to make KC the new chief minister.
Lumbini had 87 members, including the CPN-UML's 41 lawmakers. But after four Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal and two CPN-MC lawmakers were expelled from their parties, the PA is left with 81 members. The support of 41 lawmakers is a must to form the new government. Since one of UML lawmakers Bimla Khatri switched sides, Pokhrel put in his papers to avoid the no-trust motion registered against him in the Provincial Assembly.
However, the governor reappointed him the chief minister as per Article 168/1 of the constitution.
Nepali Congress lawmaker Fakruddin Khan said Pokhrel was reappointed CM in violation of the constitution.
A version of this article appears in the print on May 3, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
