Bagmati Province Government Formation Efforts Intensify Amidst Shifting Alliances

Makwanpur. Efforts to form a new government in Bagmati Province have intensified. The political situation in Bagmati has changed following a rift in the cooperation between the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML.

Until Sunday, CPN was seen as a decisive force in the formation of the Bagmati government, but on Monday, the political situation of power suddenly changed, and CPN itself has entered the race to form the government. Although the possibility of a left-wing alliance was high from Monday afternoon, Congress was seen as the opposition party in Bagmati.

The UML was preparing to withdraw its ministers and support to the Congress, which is currently leading the government, on Monday. While UML was preparing to make 6 ministers resign after a parliamentary party meeting, UML concluded that it would proceed only after the central directive regarding the possibility of a left-wing alliance.

While the debate on the left-wing alliance is ongoing at the center, its possibility in the Bagmati government appears extremely difficult. Mathematically, it is clear that UML and CPN will not have the required number to form a government. In the formation of a government by a left-wing alliance, the 'Hamro Nepali Party' (HaNePa), with a capacity of two seats, has become the decisive force.

Out of the total 110-member Bagmati Provincial Assembly, 104 members are currently in office. The number of members of the provincial assembly in Bagmati has become 104 after 6 members resigned to participate in the election held on February 21. At least 53 members of the provincial assembly are required to form a government in Bagmati. Congress, the largest party in the provincial assembly, has 36 seats, while CPN has 26 and UML has 25 seats.

Policy of two parties to prioritize the communist alliance in Bagmati

If Congress and CPN unite, they will have 62 members, easily reaching a majority and forming the government. However, if UML and CPN try to form a government together, their combined number will be only 51, which is 2 less than the number required for a majority. To fulfill the shortage of 2 seats, Hamro Nepal Party (HaNePa) is the decisive force.

Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), with 12 seats in the provincial assembly, has not shown any signs of supporting any alliance or joining the government immediately. Nepal Mazdoor Kisan Party, with 3 seats, has always remained in the opposition. In that situation, HaNePa, with 2 seats, has emerged as the decisive force to sustain or collapse the new government of Bagmati.

If HaNePa does not support the UML-CPN alliance, the support of RPP will be mandatory, which seems challenging in the current political environment.

In that situation, UML and CPN leaders have proposed to Hamro Nepali Party (HaNePa) to be ready for government formation. Shailendra Man Bajracharya, the leader of the Bagmati Province Parliamentary Party of HaNePa, said that UML and CPN have formally proposed to participate and cooperate in the government.

According to leader Bajracharya, both parties have urged them to be ready for cooperation, stating that the situation is similar to the past. In response, Bajracharya informed that they are ready to move forward by understanding the sentiments of the citizens.

'We are always ready, but the major parties should not just play the game of power in a way that creates disillusionment with the system. The equation should be formed in a way that addresses the needs of the citizens,' he said.

The dispute escalated with Chief Minister Indra Bahadur Baniyan's decision to reduce the province's 14 ministries to 8. Following the reduction in the number of ministries from July 1, 6 ministers, 3 from UML and 3 from Congress, became without portfolio.

There was increasing pressure within UML to leave the government, citing that their ministers were made jobless. Ultimately, UML decided to leave the government. However, UML has not yet left the government as no clear picture of the power equation has emerged.