KATHMANDU, JANUARY 17

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal today expanded the Cabinet, inducting 15 more ministers from partners of the seven-party alliance. The expanded Cabinet has 23 ministers, including four deputy prime ministers and three ministers of state.

The PM inducted lawmakers from his party, the CPN- MC, as well as the CPN-UML, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, the Rastriya Swatantra Party, and the Janamat Party.

cabinet
cabinet

The Upendra Yadav-led Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal and the Ranjita Shrestha-led Nagarik Unmukti Party, which are the other two parties in the ruling alliance, have chosen not to join the government.

President Bidhya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to the Cabinet ministers in the presence of the prime minister today.

Three ministers of state took the oath of office of secrecy from Prime Minister Dahal. Minister of State for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation Sushila Sirpali Thakuri didn't attend the swearing-in ceremony, according to Spokesperson for the President's Office Sagar Acharya.

All the ministers who took the oath of office and secrecy assumed their office today.

The PM has kept two Cabinet portfolios - youth and sports, as well as forest and environment - with himself. He may assign them to other coalition partners later.

Six of the ministers are from the CPN-MC, including the PM, eight are from the UML, four from the RSP, four from the RPP, and one is from the Janamat Party. The constitution limits the number of Cabinet members, which includes ministers of state and assistant ministers, to 25.

A version of this article appears in the print on January 18, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.