Bagmati Chief Minister (CM) Rajendra Pandey will seek floor test on Monday.
He will present the vote of confidence motion in the provincial assembly meeting scheduled for Monday afternoon, according to CPN (Unified Socialist) lawmaker Laxman Lamsal. Lamsal stated that voting on the motion can take place Monday itself.
Pandey was appointed CM as per Article 168(2) of the constitution that states 'If no party carries a clear majority in the Provincial Assembly for purpose of Clause (1), the Provincial Head shall appoint as Chief Minister the member of the Provincial Assembly who can attain majority of two or more than two parties represented in the Provincial Assembly.'
He is seeking vote of confidence as per Article 168(4) that requires such CM to pass the floor test within 30 days of appointment.
Pandey was appointed CM on October 28 after Ashta Laxmi Shakya of CPN-UML resigned on October 27 as she looked set to fail the floor test.
The Shakya government was in minority after 13 CPN-UML lawmakers of the province including a minister joined CPN (Unified Socialist) formed by Madhav Kumar Nepal.
Shakya, who was close to Madhav Kumar Nepal for a long time, became chief minister (CM) on August 18, after changing camp to join the group led by Chairman KP Sharma Oli hours after the Khanal-Nepal faction applied for registration of the new party at the Election Commission.
UML had 56 lawmakers in the 109-strong provincial assembly including speaker and Shakya was appointed CM as leader of the party with majority in the assembly. But it now has just 43 lawmakers.
CPN (Maoist Center) has 23 seats, Nepali Congress (NC) 22, Unified Socialist 13 and Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) one in the province and the ruling coalition including these parties have comfortable majority in the assembly.
Bibeksheel Sajha Party has three, and Nepal Workers and Peasants Party and RPP two each.
