KATHMANDU: Opposition parties have called for Lumbini Chief Minister Shankar Pokharel’s resignation on moral grounds as the government lost its majority.
“With the resignation of one of the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) State Ministers Suman Sharma Rayamajhi, the CM has lost his majority,” said Fakhruddin Khan, chief whip of the Nepali Congress. “The CM himself had said that he won’t stay in power a minute longer after losing the majority. Now we will see what he does.”
Chief Whip of the CPN-Maoist Center Tularam Gharti, stating that the CM had been re-appointed on May 2, 2021, by colluding with Chief of Province even though he had lost the majority then itself, demanded his resignation. “Now CM Pokharel lost majority in public view. He must resign immediately,” Gharti said.
JSP parliamentary party (PP) leader Sahas Ram Yadav also said the government had been illegitimate when the CM was re-appointed on May 2. “Now as one of our Ministers resigned, the CM has to resign on moral grounds,” he said.
Lumbini CM Pokharel has lost the majority as JSP lawmaker Rayamajhi, who became the Minister of State from the JSP, resigned from the post on Friday.
The ruling UML has 38 out of 83 MPs in the Lumbini state assembly. With four JSP lawmakers in the government, there was a majority in favor of the government. But with the resignation of Minister of State Rayamajhi, there are only 41 MPs in favor of the government. The government needs at least 42 MPs to reach a majority.
In the Lumbini Provincial Assembly, 19 members of the Nepali Congress, 19, including the Speaker, of the Maoist Center, three members of the JSP and one member of the Rastriya Janamorcha are against the government.
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