The majority of Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) lawmakers has chosen Rajendra Mahato as its parliamentary party leader.
A JSP leader told Setopati that a meeting of party lawmakers at a resort in Bhaktapur on Thursday chose Mahato the parliamentary party leader.
The Thakur-Mahato faction claims that 18 lawmakers were present during the meeting. The party has 34 seats in the House of Representatives (HoR) but two lawmakers are suspended.
Mahato said agreement to make him parliamentary party leader was reached at the time of party unification when asked if he has been chosen so.
The Thakur-Mahato faction had gathered its lawmakers at a resort in Bhaktapur where Oli's confidant Mahesh Basnet was also in attendance on the last day of the deadline for formation of majority government Thursday.
Oli subsequently put the proposal to join the government to JSP Chairman Mahantha Thakur and senior leader Mahato who proved crucial to get him reappointed PM on Thursday.
He, however, did not discuss the matter with another JSP Chairman Upendra Yadav and Federal Council Chairman Baburam Bhattarai who wanted to oust Oli from power and form a majority government in alliance with Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN (Maoist Center).
Executive member of the Thakur-Mahato faction Chanda Chaudhary told Setopati that the faction will not join the government despite the proposal until their demands are addressed. "Our main objective is getting our agendas of the draft committee for Constitution amendment and release of leaders and cadres addressed," she stated. "We will join the government a month and a half or so later if we do. Our demands should be in process of being met by then. We won't join the government otherwise."
CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, who had failed the floor test on Monday, was reappointed prime minister (PM) Thursday night in capacity of the leader of the largest party in the House as per Article 76(3) of the Constitution after parties did not stake claims for majority government as per Article 76(2) of the Constitution within the nine Thursday night deadline President Bidya Devi Bhandari had given.
Nepali Congress (NC), and Maoist Center could not stake claims for majority government as Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) remained divided on the issue while the lawmakers of the Khanal-Nepal faction of UML did not resign en masse to lower the strength of the House to ensure that the majority government could be formed even without support of the Thakur-Mahato faction of JSP.
