Submit your Article

President Bidya Devi Bhandari has called the Parliament meeting for 1 pm on January 9. The President called the meeting as per the recommendation of the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had told President Bhandari to convene the Parliament meeting at the earliest. Senior member of the Parliament Pashupati Shumsher JB Rana had administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly elected lawmakers on December 22.  

With the formation of the UML-Maoist alliance, the NC is also likely to lose its strength in all seven provinces as well. The alliance has the required majority to form governments in all provinces.  The UML is the largest party in Province 1 and Madhes, while the NC maintains the lead in the remaining five provinces.

In order to form a government in the 93-member Province 1 assembly, parties need the support of 47 members. The UML-led alliance currently has the support of 60 lawmakers, including 40 from UML, 13 from the Maoists, six from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), and one from the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP). 

The seven-party alliance is also in a comfortable position in the 53-member assembly of Sudurpaschim assembly. The alliance has the support of 29 members: 11 from Maoists, 10 from UML, seven from Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP), and one from RPP. In Bagmati province, a new government can be formed without the NC’s support.

In the 110-member assembly, the ruling alliance commands support of 61 members: 27 from UML, 21 from Maoists, and 13 from RPP.  The coalition is also in a strong position in the 60-member assembly of Gandaki province, where UML, Maoists, and RPP have a total 32 seats.

The Madhes province assembly has 107 members. So, parties will need the support of 54 members to form a government. The alliance of seven parties currently holds 62 seats in the assembly: 23 from UML, eight from Maoists, 16 from Janata Samajbadi Party, 13 from the Janamat Party, one from the RPP, and one from NUP. Additionally, an independent group of lawmakers led by Prabhu Sah has also joined the alliance.

In the 87-member Lumbini province assembly, the seven-party alliance has 52 members, which is sufficient to form a government. UML and the Maoist Center have 29 and nine members, respectively, while the RRP and NUP have four members each and Janamat has three. 

Similarly, the alliance also has a majority in the 40-member Karnali province assembly, with 24 members: 13 from Maoists, 10 from UML, and one from the RPP. This meets the requirement of 21 members to form a new government. 

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has recommended advocate Dr Dinmani Pokharel for the post of Attorney General. The Attorney General is the chief legal advisor of the government and is appointed by the President at the recommendation of the prime minister. Pokharel was the legal advisor of the then Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar. Attorney General Khamma Bahadur Khati resigned on Monday after the formation of a new government under the leadership of CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal. There is a culture of changing the legal advisor of the government with the change of the government.  

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that the government’s main priority is to improve the country’s economy. During a meeting with the office bearers of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries on Tuesday, Dahal assured that the government will move ahead by cooperating with the private sector. Receiving the suggestions of a delegation led by CNI Chairman Bishnu Kumar Agrawal, PM Dahal said that the main focus of the government is to improve the economy. “I was expecting the same thing from the private sector. The Confederation has clearly given plans for improvement. I would like to thank the Confederation for the same,” he said, adding, “We have given priority to the economy from the first meeting of the Cabinet. We will move forward by cooperating with the private sector.” The delegation held a meeting with Prime Minister Dahal at his private residence in Khumaltar this morning. Congratulating Dahal on behalf of the private sector for being appointed as the prime minister and wishing him for the successful tenure, Agrawal suggested that the new government’s first priority should be improving the country’s economy which is in a dire state.