Kathmandu, Sept 29

Provinces 1 and 3 are likely to finalise their names and headquarters before Dashain vacation.

Province 1 Chief Minister Sher Dhan Rai told THT over phone he was holding formal and informal talks with political parties on the nomenclature and headquarters of the province. “I want to settle these issues on the basis of consensus but if all the parties in the PA do not agree on the issues, the decision will be taken through voting process,” he added

Rai said the leaders had floated a few names for the province such as Koshi, Sapta Koshi, Kirat and Sagarmatha.

He also said that the PA would choose one city out of Biratnagar, Itahari, Dhankuta and Gothgaun as headquarters of Province 1.

A province government source said chances were high that the leaders would choose Biratnagar as the provincial headquarters.

Province 3 Chief Minister Dormani Paudel said the Provincial Assembly was likely to take a call on the name and province headquarters before Dashain vacation. There is tentative agreement on the name, but PA members are divided on the headquarters,” he said.

Paudel said there was fierce lobbying for Bhaktapur, Kavreplanchowk, Chitwan and Makawanpur as province headquarters.

Province 2 Minister of State for Industry, Tourism and Forest Suresh Mandal said the government wanted to deal with daily administration and key development issues before discussing the province’s name and headquarters. “After a few months, a committee will be formed to discuss these issues with other parties,” he said, adding that the coalition government of the Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal and the RastriyaJanata Party-Nepal would need the support of either the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) or the Nepali Congress as the government lacked two-thirds majority in the PA.

Mandal said the ruling coalition wanted to name Province 2 Madhes Pradesh. “We will propose the word Madhes in the name,” Chief Minister Lalbabu Raut told THT.

Mandal said that the then CPN-UML had proposed the name Mithila Pradesh before it merged with the CPN-MC, but now that the two parties have united, it is not clear what the NCP will propose. “Before merger, the CPN-MC was not opposed to our proposal of Madhes Pradesh as the province’s name. Now, we will see what proposal the NCP floats,” he said.

Mandal said the provincial government would try to settle three issues — nomenclature, headquarters and additional language of the province in a package.