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The Cabinet will be expanded soon after Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal seeks a vote of confidence. After the Central Execution Committee meeting of the Nepali Congress, party spokesperson Prakash Sharan Mahat said that the Prime Minister will seek a vote of confidence on March 20 or 21. “No discussions have been held about joining the government. The Cabinet will be expanded after the Prime Minister takes a vote of confidence. Prime Minister Dahal is preparing to seek a vote of confidence on March 20 or 21,” he said. The Prime Minister is seeking a vote of confidence after the CPN-UML and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party withdrew support extended to the Dahal-led government with the formation of a new alliance under the leadership of the Nepali Congress. Though the Rastriya Swatantra Party has left the government, it has continued its support to Prime Minister Dahal.  

The Nepali Congress has decided to vote in favor of Janata Samajbadi Party’s Ram Sahaya Yadav in the vice-presidential election. The Central Execution Committee of the Nepali Congress held on Wednesday decided to support Yadav in the vice-presidential election, party spokesperson Prakash Sharan Mahat said. According to him, the meeting has decided to direct the party lawmakers to vote in favor of Yadav. The meeting also congratulated President Ram Chandra Paudel.  

The Election Commission has made public the sample ballot papers for the vice-presidential election. The Commission has arranged separate ballot papers for the members of the House of Representatives and Province Assembly. Parliament and National Assembly members will get pink ballot papers while Province Assembly members will get green ballot papers. The names of all the four vice-presidential candidates along with their photographs are mentioned in the ballot papers. CPN-UML Vice-Chairperson Astha Laxmi Shakya, Janata Samajbadi Party Parliamentary Party leader Ram Sahaya Yadav, Pramila Kumari Yadav and Janamat Party’s Mamata Jha have filed their nominations for the election. Pramila Yadav has announced to withdraw her candidacy saying that she would support Ram Sahaya Yadav in the vice-presidential election. Her name and photograph, however, were also printed in the ballot paper as she did not withdraw her candidacy within the stipulated time. Yadav has the support of five parties including ruling coalition parties—Nepali Congress, CPN (Maoist Center), CPN (Unified Socialist) among other parties while Jha has the support of Janamat Party and Nagarik Unmukti Party. Shakya has the support of only UML. The election has been scheduled for March 17. Federal Parliament and Province Assembly members are the voters in the election.      

Province chiefs called on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal at the latter’s official residence in Baluwatar on Wednesday. During the meeting, they discussed various issues including the problems the provincial chiefs office have been facing, a Baluwatar source said. The Prime Minister said that he would take an initiative to resolve the problems. According to a provision of the Constitution of Nepal, each province should have a provincial head as the representative of the federal government.