Dispute Within NCP Lumbini Over Ministerial Selection Delays Friday Swearing-In
Dragon Media Correspondent
Internal disagreements within the ruling Nepali Communist Party in Lumbini Province have delayed the selection of ministers for the three ministries allocated to the party, forcing the postponement of a swearing-in ceremony that had been planned for Friday.
Chief Minister Chet Narayan Acharya had asked the NCP to submit the names of its ministerial nominees by Thursday. However, despite repeated meetings, the party failed to finalise the list.
According to Pradeep Nepali, personal secretary to the chief minister, the swearing-in will not take place on Friday because the NCP did not submit the names in time. With Saturday and Sunday falling on holidays, the ceremony could now be held on Monday if an agreement is reached.
The NCP has 13 lawmakers in the Lumbini Provincial Assembly, including nine from the former Maoist Centre, three who came from the Nagarik Unmukti Party and one from the former CPN Unified Socialist. One of them is the Speaker and another is currently abroad, leaving 11 active lawmakers, many of whom are reportedly aspiring to become ministers.
The main source of disagreement is representation among the different political groups that merged into the NCP.
Parliamentary party leader Jokh Bahadur Mahara, who has previously served as chief minister, is reportedly in favour of sending Chief Whip Indrajit Tharu to lead the party in the provincial government. However, a section of leaders from the former Unified Socialist and former Maoist Centre has opposed making him a minister again.
Former minister Bhagwati Adhikari, who came from the Unified Socialist, is also being strongly backed for a ministerial position by Madhav Kumar Nepal.
At the same time, leaders including Metmani Chaudhary have been pressing for Raj Kumar Chaudhary, who joined the party from the Nagarik Unmukti Party, to be included in the Cabinet.
Provincial party chairman Sudarshan Baral is also reportedly lobbying for Yam Bahadur Sarki of Gulmi.
Earlier, senior provincial leaders had reportedly moved close to an agreement on Chief Whip Indrajit Tharu, Dipendra Pun “Sijal” of Rolpa, who was elected as an independent before joining the party, and Krishna Kushma Tharu of Bardiya. However, additional claims from different internal groups prevented a final decision.
Under the coalition arrangement involving the CPN-UML, NCP, Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal and Rastriya Janamorcha, the NCP is expected to receive three of the nine ministries in the Lumbini provincial government.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Urban Development and Ministry of Industry, Forest and Tourism are currently vacant. The NCP has also claimed the Ministry of Social Development, but JSP Nepal’s Santosh Pandey has reportedly refused to relinquish that portfolio, leaving the ministry-sharing issue unresolved.
NCP leaders have claimed that before Chief Minister Acharya secured a vote of confidence, there had been a verbal understanding that the party would receive three ministries, including Economic Affairs and Urban Development. They say the chief minister is now reluctant to implement that understanding in full.
NCP provincial in-charge Chandra Prakash Khanal “Baldev,” leader Metmani Chaudhary and parliamentary party leader Jokh Bahadur Mahara have been holding continuous discussions in Deukhuri for the past two days in an effort to finalise the names.
At the central level, Barshaman Pun and, at the provincial level, Khanal have reportedly been assigned responsibility for resolving the ministerial selection.
CPN-UML Secretary and provincial in-charge Chhabilal Bishwakarma has also remained in Deukhuri to facilitate discussions among coalition partners.
Chief Minister Acharya had been preparing to expand his Cabinet after securing a vote of confidence on Bhadau 1. However, the NCP’s internal dispute over ministerial nominees and unresolved disagreements over portfolio distribution have once again delayed the expansion of the provincial government.
