The two remaining chief ministers of the CPN-UML are set to lose their positions with 12 members of the Bagmati Province and 10 members of Province 1 defecting to Madhav Nepal’s CPN (Unified Socialist). This will strip the party led by former prime minister KP Sharma Oli of leadership positions in four provinces that it held for over three-and-a-half years.
As many as 12 members of the Bagmati Provincial Assembly, who were elected on CPN-UML tickets, defected to the CPN (Unified Socialist) on Tuesday, pushing the recently appointed Chief Minister Asta Laxmi Shakya into minority.
“A dozen members of the provincial assembly including a minister have notified the provincial office of the Election Commission that we are with the CPN (Unified Socialist),” said Basanta Manandhar, a member of the Provincial Assembly.
While at least 10 UML members of Province 1 Assembly are preparing to join the CPN (Unified Socialist) on Wednesday.
In a bid to save his position, the newly-appointed chief minister of Province 1, Bhim Acharya, had a few days ago managed to bring two leaders close to Madhav Nepal—Bal Bahadur Samsohang and Laxman Tiwari — to his fold and made them ministers. However, Acharya will fall into minority if five provincial members defect to the CPN (Unified Socialist).
“At least 10 members of the provincial assembly will declare their affiliation to the CPN (Unified Socialist) on Wednesday at the provincial office of the Election Commission,” said Rajendra Rai, a central committee member of the CPN (Unified Socialist), who has been proposed as the new chief minister candidate. “We were planning to notify the office today itself but due to a public holiday in our province it has been postponed till Wednesday.”