Defying the party’s directives, Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) Nepal lawmakers are set to support the Lumbini provincial government.
On Monday, party General Secretary Surendra Kumar Jha sent a letter to Lumbini Provincial Assembly parliamentary party leader Santosh Kumar Pandeya and other provincial assembly members, directing them to withdraw support to the government.
The letter instructed them to vote against Lumbini Chief Minister Chet Narayan Acharya in the confidence vote. However, the party’s provincial lawmakers have decided to vote in favor of Chief Minister Acharya, defying the party's directives.
JSP Nepal parliamentary party leader Pandeya said that they will neither withdraw support to the government nor vote against Chief Minister Acharya.
There are five JSP Nepal lawmakers in the Lumbini Provincial Assembly. Pandeya is the parliamentary party leader, while Hema Belbase KC, Ambika Kafle, Aadesh Kumar Agrawal, and Bhandari Lal Ahir are members. Pandeya said that while Kafle is in Kathmandu for work-related purposes, the other four members will vote in favor of the chief minister.
The 87-member Lumbini Provincial Assembly currently has 83 members. Among them, the CPN-UML has 29 members, and the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) has 13 members, including the speaker. A majority of 42 provincial assembly members is required to form a government.
The Rastriya Jana Morcha, which has a single member in Lumbini, has also announced its support for the government.
Currently, a joint meeting of the UML and NCP is underway, with Aadesh Agrawal and Bhandari Lal Ahir from the JSP Nepal also participating.
JSP Nepal leaders Pandeys and Belbase have announced their support to the government.
