Lumbini Province Government Leadership Change Under Discussion

Butwal. Although the old parties were swept away from the federal power after the Genji movement last August, they still hold sway in the provinces. The Genji generation had rebelled due to the growing despair over power struggles, misgovernance, and corruption, which were not addressed in time. The Genji rebellion led to the dissolution of the then House of Representatives and new elections, in which the Rastriya Swatantra Party, established as an alternative political force, won nearly a two-thirds majority.

 Despite this, old parties are prioritizing power-centric politics at the provincial level. The latest example of this can be seen in the efforts to change the leadership in the provincial government. Discussions are underway to change the leadership in some of the provincial governments formed based on the alliance between the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML. In that context, preparations are also being made to change the leadership of the Lumbini Province government.

Currently, the Lumbini Province government is led by CPN-UML. According to sources, preparations are underway for the Nepali Congress to take over the leadership of the Lumbini government as per the power-sharing agreement between the Congress and UML. CPN-UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel signaled a change in government leadership on Tuesday by visiting Deukhuri in Dang. He is said to have instructed the provincial government not to delay the budget-making process. Bhumishwar Dhakal, Minister for Physical Infrastructure Development in Lumbini Province, admitted that discussions are ongoing regarding the change in government leadership, but the time has not been decided.

He said, 'The General Secretary has instructed to move forward with the budget-making process. He has indicated that it would be better if the budget is brought by the current government before the leadership change.' Currently, Chetanarayan Acharya of CPN-UML is the Chief Minister of Lumbini Province. He is considered close to CPN-UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel. According to the 18-18 month power-sharing agreement with the Congress, Acharya became Chief Minister in July 2081 BS. As per that agreement, the leadership should have been handed over last February. However, due to internal disputes within the Nepali Congress, this issue did not get priority.

According to the power-sharing agreement, Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary, the leader of the Nepali Congress parliamentary party, is now likely to become the Chief Minister. On Tuesday, Chaudhary himself went to welcome CPN-UML General Secretary Pokharel at a program organized in Dang. Both Pokharel and Chaudhary are residents of Dang.

However, it is understood that the leadership change has been delayed due to internal competition between the establishment and rival factions within the Congress regarding the Chief Minister's post. Raju Khanal, Vice-President of the Congress Province and former Health Minister of the Province, was also rumored to be a contender for the Chief Minister's post. However, the party has sought clarification from him after he was accused of anti-party activities during the recent elections.

According to a provincial assembly member of the Congress, a few months ago, leaders other than Dilli Chaudhary were also lobbying to become Chief Minister. In the current situation, Chaudhary has become the strongest option. Amar Singh Pun, President of the Nepali Congress Lumbini Province, stated that it is customary for the parliamentary party leader to become the Chief Minister, and Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary will become the Chief Minister from the Congress. He said, 'The delay in Lumbini is because the center is preparing to make decisions about all provincial governments at once.' The Lumbini Provincial Assembly has 29 seats for CPN-UML and 27 seats for Nepali Congress. Currently, the Provincial Assembly has 83 seats. Although there are a total of 87 seats, 4 provincial assembly members resigned to become candidates for the House of Representatives. Currently, at least 42 seats are required to form a majority. Based on that, the combined strength of Congress and UML MPs here is 56. There are 13 MPs from CPN (Maoist).

• Will CPN (Maoist) get a place in the government?

Although Congress and UML have a clear majority in Lumbini Province, discussions are ongoing at the central level about bringing the Nepali Communist Party into the government. If a cooperation agreement is reached between Congress, UML, and Maoist at the central level, CPN (Maoist) may also get some ministries in Lumbini Province.

However, Bhumishwar Dhakal, the Minister for Physical Infrastructure from UML in the provincial government, said that the government will proceed according to the agreement between Congress and UML. He added that CPN (Maoist) can be included if necessary, according to the central government's decision. Jhumana Dhakal, Chief Whip of the Nepali Congress Lumbini Province Assembly, also said that CPN (Maoist) can be included in the government if a decision is made at the center. However, she stated that the Nepali Congress will lead the government. She clarified that formal discussions about bringing CPN (Maoist) into the provincial government are yet to take place.

Sudarshan Baral, Lumbini Province Chairman of the former Maoist Center, also said that although there have been general discussions at the center, there has been no concrete decision or discussion about participating in the provincial government.