Following the agreement between the CPN-UML and the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) on cooperation in the provinces, discussions have begun in Bagmati province as well for the formation of a new government.
However, the UML and NCP alone cannot form a government in Bagmati.
The Bagmati provincial government is currently led by Nepali Congress parliamentary party leader Indra Bahadur Baniya.
Since the UML and NCP do not have enough seats to form a government on their own, the NC is also seeking to continue the government under its leadership.
The UML has already withdrawn its support for the Baniya-led government. The UML and NC had formed the government together.
The Bagmati Provincial Assembly has 104 members.
The NC is the largest party in the assembly, with 36 lawmakers.
The NCP has 26 members, the UML 25, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) 12, the Nepal Workers’ and Peasants’ Party (NWPP) three, and the Hamro Nepali Party two.
A party or coalition needs the support of 53 lawmakers to form a government in the province.
Jagannath Thapaliya, UML parliamentary party leader in Bagmati, said that the party has been holding continuous discussions with the NCP and other parties with which it could potentially form a coalition to establish a new government.
Under the agreement between the UML and NCP, the chief minister of Bagmati province is to be from the UML.
The NC, meanwhile, is also seeking to continue the existing government, arguing that it is the largest party in the provincial assembly. Pukar Maharjan, NC chief whip in Bagmati, said that discussions with other parties have begun for that purpose.
According to Maharjan, the NC has begun discussions with the RPP, NWPP, and Hamro Nepali Party to continue the existing government. If it reaches an agreement with these parties, the NC could also secure the majority needed to form the government.
