The faction of Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal has elected Ashta Laxmi Shakya as the CPN parliamentary party leader in Bagmati replacing Chief Minister (CM) Dormani Paudel.
A meeting of the faction's provincial assembly members at Paris Danda, Kathmandu on Wednesday has unanimously elected Shakya as the parliamentary party leader. The meeting also decided that the lawmakers from the faction need not respond to explanation sought by CM Paudel. "We need not furnish explanation to the CM who is already in minority," a lawmaker who participated in the meeting told Setopati.
The faction had registered no-confidence motion against CM Paudel on Friday. Forty-five CPN provincial assembly members registered the no-confidence motion against CM Paudel. Three ministers of Bagmati provincial government from the faction had also resigned the same day citing sluggish performance of the government and the CM's attitude of taking unilateral decisions ignoring advice of ministers and parliamentary party among others.
CM Paudel had sought explanation from the lawmakers for lodging the no-confidence motion without holding parliamentary party meeting.
There are 80 members from CPN, 22 from Nepali Congress (NC), three from the then Bibeksheel Party, two each from Nepal Workers and Peasant Party and RPP, and one from the then Naya Shakti Party in the 110-strong Bagmati provincial assembly.
Shakya had lost the election for parliamentary party leader of the then CPN-UML to Paudel 34-24.
