KATHMANDU: Newly formed CPN-Unified Socialist has chosen Rajendra Rai as its parliamentary party (PP) leader in Province 1.

A meeting of the parliamentary party of the Unified Socialist on Monday elected Rai as its leader.

After being elected as the parliamentary party leader lawmaker Rai ruled out the possibility of supporting Chief Minister Bhim Acharya.

“We do not support CPN-UML Chief Minister anymore,” Rai said after being elected to the post, adding, “We will submit a letter stating our position at the parliament secretariat soon.”

UML Chairman KP Oli had got the CM post vacated for Acharya after the latter agreed to dissociate himself from then Khanal-Nepal group of the party.

With Rai’s statement, Acharya’s government is in the minority in the province now. The 93-member province assembly currently has 92 members.

UML, which had formerly 51 lawmakers, is confined to 41 now. 10 lawmakers have chosen the Madhav Kumar Nepal-led Unified Socialist.

As one of the lawmakers is suspended and one more cannot vote being in the post of the Speaker, only 39 can vote in the parliament.

Similarly, Nepali Congress (NC) has 21 seats in the province assembly followed by 15 of CPN-Maoist Center. Janata Samjbadi party has three seats in the province parliament.

In other words, if the oppositions in the parliament stand together, the coalition has 49 seats.