Khagaraj Bhatta, leader of the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) parliamentary party in the provincial assembly, has been appointed chief minister of Sudur Paschim.
Province Chief Nazir Miya appointed Bhatta as chief minister under Article 168(2) of the Constitution of Nepal on Friday.
Bhatta is the fifth chief minister of Sudur Paschim.
Four chief ministers in four years
Following the establishment of the province, Trilochan Bhatta of the then CPN (Maoist Center) served as chief minister for the full five-year term of the first provincial assembly.
During the second term, however, Sudur Paschim has already had four different chief ministers.
Rajendra Singh Rawal was the first chief minister of the second provincial assembly term. He served from January 12, 2023 to February 9, 2023.
He was followed by Nepali Congress parliamentary party leader Kamal Bahadur Shah, who served from February 10, 2023, to April 17, 2024.
Dirgha Bahadur Sodari then served from April 18 to August 4, 2024.
Shah subsequently returned as chief minister for a second time. He served as chief minister for one year, four months and eight days during his first stint and two years and eight days during his second term.
Shah resigned on Thursday following a change in the governing coalition.
Thus, a cycle of government formation and dissolution has been continuing in Sudur Paschim since the beginning of the second provincial assembly term.
Since no single party holds a majority in the provincial assembly, political developments and coalition arrangements at the federal level have had a direct impact on the provincial government.
The 53-member provincial assembly currently has 22 members from the NCP and 11 from the CPN-UML, making it relatively easy for the two parties to secure the required majority and form a new government.
The Nepali Congress has 18 members in the provincial assembly, while the Rastriya Prajatantra Party has one. Following the resignation of one provincial assembly member, the assembly currently has 52 members.
