Four CPN (Maoist Center) lawmakers, who lost their ministership after being expelled from the House of Representatives (HoR), are awaiting invitation to be sworn in again as ministers.
Speaker Agni Sapkota read the name of the four lawmakers during the House meeting on Thursday stating that they have been expelled by the party.
The party had written for removal of Energy Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, Industry Minister Lekh Raj Bhatta, Labor Minister Gauri Shankar Chaudhary and Urban Development Minister Prabhu Sah to implement the decision of the standing committee meeting pointing that the four are participating in political activities of another party.
"We are awaiting news about swearing-in. We may be sworn in after completing procedures," Sah told Setopati. "We will not go to the ministries today."
The four were ministers as per Article 76(9) of the Constitution. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will have to appoint them in accordance to another article of the Constitution for them to become ministers.
Article 78 of the Constitution allows a person who is not member of the federal parliament to become minister but the person must become federal lawmaker within six months of taking oath of office.
There, however, seems little chance of the four being reappointed and sworn in as ministers Friday itself. PM's press advisor Surya Thapa told Setopati that appointment of ministers has not been decided yet. "Preparations may be on."
There are no preparations for swearing-in ceremony even at the President's Office until Friday morning with personal secretary to President Bidya Devi Bhandari confiding that another program may run until two in the afternoon. "Swearing-in of ministers may happen in the evening if it happens. It may happen Sunday otherwise."
The four ministers elected on ticket of Maoist Center had decided to join CPN-UML instead of returning to Maoist Center after the Supreme Court on March 7 invalidated unification of the two parties that formed CPN resulting in their expulsion.
