Prime Minister Sushila Karki has advised Energy Minister Kulman Ghising to step down from the government.
According to a source, the prime minister suggested during a Cabinet meeting held on Monday that it would be better for Ghising to leave the government.
"The prime minister said that he has done a good job within the government to create an environment for timely elections, and suggested that he may now leave if he intends to contest the polls and focus on party work," the source said.
Ghising had previously attempted to resign when he launching the Ujyaalo Nepal Party. At that time, Prime Minister Karki had stopped him, asking him to first complete the work he had begun. He remained only a patron of that party. However, after Ghising reached an agreement to become a vice-president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), questions regarding his stay in the government began to arise both within and outside the Cabinet.
According to the source, ministers within the Cabinet had advised the prime minister that Ghising must resign since it would be inappropriate for an individual holding a leadership position in a political party to remain in a non-partisan government formed specifically to conduct elections. Following such concerns within and outside the Cabinet, PM Karki advised Ghising to resign.
While Ghising has reached an agreement to become a vice-president of the RSP, he has not yet taken the oath of office.
Although Ghising has openly entered politics, there are rumors that other ministers also intend to contest the elections through various political parties, though they have not yet made their intentions public.
