Submit your Article

Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Nepal held a meeting at the former’s residence in Dhumbarahi on Wednesday. During the meeting, the duo discussed the election of Speaker. Though the CPN (Unified Socialist) had given a vote of confidence to the Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the party has not participated in the government. The Nepali Congress is trying to form a new coalition by incorporating Janata Samajbadi Party, Nagarik Unmukti Party and Janamat Party among others. The Congress is trying to form a coalition targeting the elections of Speaker and President. During an all-party meeting held on Tuesday, Prime Minister Dahal had proposed to go together in the elections of Speaker and President also, NC Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak said. The meeting discussed the issues of President, Speaker, Vice-President. However, the meeting ended without making a concrete decision. The Parliament Secretariat said that the candidates will file nominations for the post of Speaker from 1 pm to 4 pm today.

The CPN-UML has decided to field lawmaker Dev Raj Ghimire for the post of Speaker of the House of Representatives. Though the names of Prithvi Subba Gurung, Chabilal Bishwokarma, Raghuji Pant and Bidhya Bhattarai among others were discussed, the party has decided to make Ghimire the candidate, an office bearer said. He was elected as a member of the House of Representatives from Jhapa-2. According to an agreement made earlier, the CPN (Maoist Center) will take the post of Prime Minister, UML the post of President and share the Speaker’s post on rotation basis. As long as CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal remains as the Prime Minister from the ruling alliance, the UML will get the post of Speaker. That is why the UML is filing the candidacy from the ruling coalition. Nominations for the post of Speaker of the House of Representatives are being registered today. The Parliament Secretariat said that the candidates should file the nominations from 1 pm to 4 pm. The election for the post of Speaker of the Parliament has been scheduled for 11 am on Thursday.  

Three week after he was appointed to the top executive post, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal expanded his Cabinet on Tuesday. Earlier, PM Dahal had formed a small Cabinet by inducting seven ministers including three Deputy Prime Ministers and four ministers without portfolios. List of Ministers

1. Pushpa Kamal Dahal of CPN (Maoist Center): Prime Minister
2. Bishnu Prasad Poudel of CPN-UML: Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister
3. Narayankaji Shrestha of CPN (Maoist Center): Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure
4. Rabi Lamichhane of Rastriya Swatantra Party: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs
5. Rajendra Lingden of Rastriya Prajatantra Party: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy
6. Rekha Sharma of CPN (Maoist Center): Minister for Communications and Information Technology
7. Bikram Pandey of Rastriya Prajatantra Party: Minister for Urban Development
8. Jwala Kumari Sah of CPN-UML: Minister for Agriculture
9. Damodar Bhandari of CPN-UML: Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supply
10. Rajendra Kumar Rai of CPN-UML: Minister for Land Management and Cooperatives
11. Abdul Khan of Janamat Party: Minister for Drinking Water
12. Bimala Rai Paudel of CPN-UML: Minister for Foreign Affairs
13. Padam Giri of CPN-UML: Minister for Health
14. Bhagwati Chaudhary of CPN-UML: Minister for Women and Children
15. Hari Upreti of CPN-UML: Minister for Defence
16. Sudan Kiranti of CPN (Maoist Center): Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation
17. Aman Lal Modi of CPN (Maoist Center): Minister for Federal Affairs
18. Shishir Khanal of Rastriya Swatantra Party: Minister for Education
19. Dol Prasad Aryal of Rastriya Swatantra Party: Minister for Labor and Employment
20. Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan of Rastriya Prajatantra Party: Minister for Law
21. Sushil Shreepali Thakuri of CPN (Maoist Center): State Minister for Culture, Tourism
22. Toshima Karki of Rastriya Swatantra Party: State Minister for Health
23. Deepak Bahadur Singh of Rastriya Prajatantra Party: State Minister for Energy

Bhim Bahadur Bhandari has been elected as the Speaker of Sudurpaschim Province. Bhandari, CPN (Maoist Center) Province Assembly member, was elected as the Speaker from the election conducted for the third time today. In the 53-member Province Assembly, 52 votes were cast. Out of which, he obtained 29 votes while 23 voted against him. Man Bahadur Rawal of the Nepali Congress garnered 23 votes. Earlier, the Speaker could not be elected in the Province Assembly after none of the candidates secured a majority in the elections held on January 28 and 30. Nepali Congress has 19 members, CPN (Maoist Center) 11, CPN-UML 10, Unmukti Party 7, CPN (Unified Socialist) 4 and Rastriya Prajatantra Party has one member in the Province Assembly. The Assembly has one independent lawmaker.