Kiran Thapa Magar, the newly elected chief minister of Bagmati province, is set to seek a vote of confidence in the provincial assembly on Monday.
He will table a motion of confidence at a provincial assembly meeting scheduled for 1 p.m.
Thapa Magar, a CPN-UML lawmaker, was appointed chief minister with the support of the UML, Nepali Communist Party (NCP), and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP). However, the RPP has already expelled Uddhav Thapa, the RPP parliamentary party leader in Bagmati who had submitted a letter pledging support for the chief minister.
He is accused of supporting the chief minister against the directives of the party’s central leadership.
Three RPP lawmakers are also serving as ministers in the Bagmati government. The RPP has 12 lawmakers in the provincial assembly.
The RPP has sought explanations from the ministers serving in the government as well. It initially gave them 12 hours to respond and later extended the deadline by another 12 hours.
Although the chief minister is taking the confidence vote on Monday, the RPP has issued a whip directing its lawmakers to vote against the motion, remain neutral, or stay absent.
“The RPP has issued a whip to its provincial assembly members to vote against, remain neutral, or remain absent during the Bagmati chief minister’s confidence vote scheduled for August 24,” RPP spokesperson Mohan Shrestha said. “The whip issued by Kumari Tamang, RPP chief whip in the Bagmati Provincial Assembly, has been sent to all party lawmakers.”
The RPP has instructed its lawmakers not to give a vote of confidence to the very government in which three of its own ministers are serving.
With three RPP lawmakers serving as ministers, there are reports that some RPP lawmakers are preparing to cross the floor and vote in favor of the chief minister. The party is also likely to take disciplinary action against the ministers who have been asked for clarification.
The UML and NCP needed two additional lawmakers to secure a majority in the provincial assembly, prompting them to seek the support of RPP lawmakers in Bagmati despite opposition from the RPP’s central leadership.
