Nepali Congress (NC) lawmaker Kedar Karki has been appointed chief minister (CM) of Koshi province on Saturday.
Province Chief Parshuram Khapung appointed him Koshi CM Saturday morning as per Article 168 (5 of the Constitution after completing verification of signatures of 47 lawmakers. Khapung had invited lawmakers for signature verification after both Karki and Angbo submitted signatures of majority of lawmakers.
Karki, who is close to leader Shekhar Koirala, had staked claim for CM submitting signatures of 47 lawmakers including eight NC lawmakers (including himself) and 39 CPN-UML lawmakers to Province Chief Parshuram Khapung on Thursday going against the center’s decision to support Indra Angbo of CPN (Maoist Center) as the coalition candidate.
Earlier on Thursday, a meeting of leaders of the ruling coalition held at the prime minister’s residence in Baluwatar decided to support Angbo for chief minister.
NC had decided to support Angbo after RPP insisted that it wouldn't support NC for CM and would only support a Maoist candidate. But Koirala solicited UML's support defying the center's decision pointing that the coalition had agreed to give Koshi province to NC and the grand old party should not give up the post for Maoist Center.
Parties cannot issue whip to lawmakers if a government is formed according to Article 168 (5).
Koshi’s Province Chief Parshuram Khapung had given parties until 5 PM Friday to stake claim to the post of chief minister according to Article 168 (5) of the Constitution.
Koshi Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki had resigned last Saturday after it became clear that he would fail the floor test.
Karki announced his resignation in the provincial assembly meeting that was scheduled to vote on the floor test on Saturday, 29 days after Province Chief Khapung had appointed him as the chief minister according to Article 168 (3) of the Constitution.
NC has 29 seats the provincial assembly, CPN (Maoist Center) has 13, CPN (Unified Socialist) has four and Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) has one seat. UML is the largest party in the 93-strong provincial assembly with 40 seats including the deputy speaker. RPP, which has remained neutral, has six seats.
