NC poised to join Karnali govt today

Surkhet: The Nepali Congress is set to join the Karnali Province government. Hikmat Bista, chief whip of the Nepali Congress parliamentary party, informed Ratopati that the party is likely to join the government today, following the taking charge of the new provincial head.

Yagya Raj Joshi, the newly appointed provincial chief, will arrive in Surkhet today after taking the oath of office from the President on Thursday. Bhimraj Thani, Acting Secretary of the Provincial Chief's office, confirmed that the handover to the new provincial chief will take place after 9 a.m.

Bista indicated that it is highly probable the Congress will join the government today once Joshi assumes his role. However, he did not disclose the names of the ministers yet, stating that the final list will come from the party's top leadership.

Bista noted that suspended Congress Parliamentary Party Leader Jeewan Bahadur Shahi and Congress Vice President Purna Bahadur Khadka will finalize the list of ministers.

Sources suggest that Ghanshyam Bhandari, Suresh Adhikari, and Bijaya Budha are likely candidates for ministerial positions under the leadership of Rajiv Bikram Shah. "While these names are currently being discussed, there could be changes before the official oath-taking," the source added, "if not, these four are expected."

Out of the four, three are aligned with the establishment faction, while Suresh Adhikari represents the other faction led by Shekhar Koirala. In the 8-member Council of Ministers, the UML will hold three ministries, including the Chief Minister's position, while the Congress will hold four ministries.