Lumbini Province: Nepali Congress Decision Halts Minister Reshuffle

Butwal. While the parties in the ruling coalition in Lumbini Province are intensely preparing to change ministers, the Nepali Congress's parliamentary party decision on Jestha 11 has halted the process for the time being.

The Nepali Congress Lumbini Province Parliamentary Party meeting had formally sent information to the party and the ruling coalition partner CPN UML Parliamentary Party office to implement the agreement of 20-20 months of alternate leadership. Following this decision, the preparation to remove old ministers and send new ones in both Congress and UML parties has stopped.

Although the issue of changing the leadership of the provincial government is linked to the central decision, the change of ministers will happen at the provincial level, so Congress and UML had internally advanced preparations for the change of ministers.

Within UML, MPs had even submitted proposals with signatures to the parliamentary party regarding recalling the current ministers and sending new ones. The Congress party leadership had also agreed to the change of ministers.

However, the preparation for changing ministers has been halted for the time being after the Congress Parliamentary Party formally increased pressure to implement the old agreement regarding alternate leadership. Congress insists that it should now get the leadership of the government, including the chief minister, according to the agreement.

Lumbini Province Nepali Congress Treasurer Prakash Rana said that discussions are ongoing regarding the issue that the leadership of the government, including the chief minister, should be given to Congress as per the previous agreement. He revealed that discussions are also ongoing at the center regarding changing chief ministers of all provinces according to party agreements and claimed that the alternate leadership agreement will be implemented.

Congress Lumbini Province Chief Whip Jamuna Dhakal said that after the parliamentary party's decision on Jestha 11, the process of changing ministers in both Congress and UML parties has been halted for the time being.

She informed that she has already corresponded with the party, the provincial committee, and the ruling coalition partner UML Parliamentary Party regarding the change of chief minister and leadership, stating that changing ministers during the budget construction time would make it difficult for the new ministers to work.

Meanwhile, UML's Lumbini Province Assembly member and former minister Vishnu Panthi said that although both parties were preparing to change ministers, now is not the appropriate time. According to him, the change of ministers should have been completed by the first week of Baishakh. Otherwise, he said, it would be appropriate to make changes only after the budget is presented.

Panthi said that changing ministers while the budget construction work is in full swing will affect the budget preparation work.

Currently, the government is being run under the leadership of Chet Narayan Acharya with the support of Congress, UML, and smaller parties. According to a UML provincial assembly member, the decision to change the chief minister will come from the center, so the process will not move forward immediately, but changing ministers at the provincial level is possible, so preparations were being made accordingly.

According to him, there was an internal discussion, especially within UML, about giving opportunities to MPs who did not get a chance to become ministers in the past. Sources say that preparations for reshuffling ministers are being made keeping in mind the performance, power balance, and party management within the government.

Meanwhile, sources have also indicated that there is no consensus within the Nepali Congress to immediately make Dilliram Chaudhary the chief minister. However, Dilliram Chaudhary has a clear majority in the provincial assembly party.

A minister from Congress participating in the government said that the party's strategy is to move forward by accepting the leadership of UML's Chief Minister Chet Narayan Acharya in the current situation. According to that minister, changing ministers now and bringing in new faces will send a new message within the party and could further weaken the possibility of changing the chief minister immediately.

Nepali Congress MP and former minister Bir Bahadur Rana said that the cabinet can be changed at any time. He clarified that the change is certain, but it has not been clearly decided when it will happen.

A few days ago, UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel had instructed the provincial government not to delay the budget construction work. Lumbini Province Minister of Physical Infrastructure Development Bhumishwar Dhakal said that although there has been discussion about a change of power, the possibility before the budget is low.

According to the agreement between Congress and UML for alternate leadership, Chet Narayan Acharya of UML became the chief minister in Shrawan 2081.

In the Lumbini Province Assembly, UML has 29 and Nepali Congress has 27 MPs. Currently, there are 83 members in the Provincial Assembly. Out of a total of 87 seats, four provincial assembly members resigned to become candidates in the House of Representatives by-election. Currently, at least 42 seats are required for a majority, and when Congress and UML unite, a majority is formed with 56 MPs. There are 13 MPs from CPN in the Provincial Assembly.