The Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal (JSP-N) has decided to support five ordinances brought by the government.
A JSP-N parliamentary party meeting decided to support all ordinances except the one related to land.
"We have decided to support five ordinances," said JSP-N lawmaker Raj Kishor Yadav. "We have taken the stance that the land-related ordinance should be withdrawn."
Party leader Upendra Yadav briefed the meeting about discussions held with the CPN (UML), Nepali Congress and other parties.
"The prime minister and other leaders have said that they won’t advance the land-related ordinance without our consent," Yadav said. "The chairman briefed us that not advancing is equivalent to withdrawing it."
Yadav said that, in line with the agreement with the JSP-N, the land-related ordinance was not included on the agenda of the House of Representatives. "A gentleman's agreement has been reached to withdraw the ordinance," he added.
The ordinances cannot be approved by the National Assembly without the support of the JSP-N. Based on the numbers, the Upendra Yadav-led party holds a decisive role in the approval or rejection of the ordinances introduced by the government.
The ruling Nepali Congress has 16 members, CPN -UML has 10, and the Loktantrik Samajwadi Party (LSP) has one member in the National Assembly. Bamdev Gautam and Anjan Shakya, who were nominated to the upper house by the president, are also likely to support the ruling coalition, bringing the coalition’s total to 29 votes. However, the 59-member National Assembly requires the support of 30 lawmakers to secure a majority.
JSP-N has three lawmakers in the National Assembly. The ordinances will be approved if it supports the government.
On the other hand, the opposition parties are also in a strong position in the National Assembly. The CPN (Maoist Center) is the largest party with 17 lawmakers, the CPN (Unified Socialist) has eight members, and the Rastriya Janamorcha has one, totaling 26 seats. If the three JSP-N lawmakers also decided to vote against the ordinances, their number would rise to 29. In such a scenario, the National Assembly chairperson’s vote would be decisive.
If the National Assembly chairperson is required to vote, he might not support the ordinances. Therefore, the JSP-Nepal’s support is absolutely necessary for the government to get the ordinances approved.
