Hetauda, January 10

Ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP)’s Province 3 parliamentary party today decided to name the province Bagmati and designate Hetauda as its permanent headquarters.

A meeting of the NCP’s Province 3 parliamentary party in Hetauda took the decision to name the province Bagmati and make Hetauda its capital.

After the meeting, NCP’s Province 3 in-charge and provincial assembly member Astalaxmi Shakya said a proposal would be tabled in the PA meeting and approved in line with the directive issued by the party’s central secretariat. “The decision was taken after a series of meetings,” Shakya said.

Province 3 Chief Minister Dormani Poudel said a motion would be tabled in the PA proposing to name the province Bagmati and make Hetauda its permanent headquarters. The PA will finalise the name and headquarters by January 12, added the CM.

The PA could not finalise the name and headquarters earlier, as NCP lawmakers were divided on Hetauda and Kavre as the permanent headquarters of the province.

Out of 110 lawmakers in Province 3, NCP has 80, Nepali Congress has 22, Bibeksheel three and other fringe parties have four lawmakers. The constitution has a provision that a two-thirds majority can finalise the name and headquarters of a province. In Province 3, support of 74  PA members is enough for the motion to pass.

Earlier, NCP’s central leadership had directed to name the province Bagmati and make Hetauda its permanent headquarters.

NCP’s Province 3 parliamentary party had failed to take a final call on the province name and its capital despite repeated meetings.

Province 3 NCP in-charge Shakya, Province 3 NCP Chair Narayan Dahal and some other leaders had visited Kathmandu to meet party co-chairs Pushpa Kamal Dahal and KP Sharma Oli to reconsider the headquarters of the province. They returned to Hetauda after the party co-chairs directed them to abide by the party’s decision.

Meanwhile, the PA today made public its schedule to convene the meeting to finalise the headquarters and name of the province.

As per the PA’s business schedule, it will decide the permanent headquarters and name of the province on January 11 and 12, respectively.

The proposal on fixing the headquarters has to be registered at the PA between 9:00am and 11:00am on January 11.

Issuing the business schedule today, Province-3’s Business Management Consulting Committee stated that the permanent headquarters of the province would be finalised at tomorrow’s meeting. The debate on the proposed headquarters will begin at 1:00pm. Voting on the issue will be held on Sunday.

The proposal on naming the province will be registered at the Provincial Assembly at 9:00am on Sunday. The name will be finalised on Sunday, said Province 3 Speaker Sanu Kumar Shrestha.