Five Key Ministries Assigned to Bagmati Province Leaders in New Cabinet Led by Balen Shah's Party

Kathmandu. The Bagmati Province has secured five significant ministries in the new government led by Prime Minister and senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Balen Shah.

Five ministers in the Balen Cabinet have been appointed solely from Bagmati Province. Most of the ministers in the Balen Cabinet are from Kathmandu, with 3 from Kathmandu, and 1 each from Nuwakot and Chitwan. In the Balen Cabinet, Birajbhakta Shrestha has become the Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, while Shishir Khanal is the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sammit Pokhrel is the Minister for Education, Science and Technology and Youth and Sports, and Dr. Bikram Timalsina is the Minister for Communications and Information Technology. Sobita Gautam has become the Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.

Specifically, three ministers are from Kathmandu constituencies 5, 6, and 8, while one minister each is from Chitwan-3 and Nuwakot-1. Shrestha, the Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, is from Kathmandu-8, while Khanal, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, is from Kathmandu-6. Pokhrel, from Kathmandu-5, has become the Minister for Education, Science and Technology and Youth and Sports, while Dr. Timalsina from Nuwakot-1 is the Minister for Communications and Information Technology. Gautam from Chitwan-3 has become the Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.

Sammit, from Kathmandu-5, secured his parliamentary journey by defeating 'heavyweight' leaders Ishwar Pokhrel of CPN-UML and Pradip Paudel of the Nepali Congress. Pokhrel, who previously served as Balen Shah's education advisor and expert in Kathmandu Metropolitan City, brought revolutionary reforms to the metropolitan scholarship system.

Khanal, who previously served as Education Minister for 19 days, has returned to the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this time. Khanal, who holds a Master's degree in Public Policy from the United States, is also the head of the RSP's International Department. Expected to modernize and balance Nepal's foreign policy, Khanal has expertise in diplomatic and economic sectors.

Dr. Timalsina came into the spotlight after defeating former Foreign Minister Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat in his home district of Nuwakot. With a Ph.D. in International Relations from Australia, he has 15 years of long experience in the communication sector. He aims to implement policy and technical reforms in the Ministry of Communications.

Re-elected from Kathmandu-8, Shrestha has become a minister for the second time after a gap of two years. Having successfully completed his tenure as Sports Minister previously, he is known for politics based on 'data and logic'. Shrestha, recognized as a heritage conservation and environmental activist, has been entrusted with the responsibility of the Ministry of Energy, considered the backbone of development, this time.

Sobita Gautam, who defeated Renu Dahal by a large margin in Chitwan-3, has become the legal commander of the new government. Gautam, who strongly advocates for good governance and citizen rights issues, prioritizes making Nepal's legal structure citizen-friendly and modern.