As EC registers CPN-Unified Socialist, UML shrinks to 98 seats in HoR

KATHMANDU: With the CPN-Unified Socialist getting the registration certificate from the Election Commission (EC), the CPN-UML has shrunk to 98 seats in the House of Representatives (HoR).

The CPN-Unified Socialist has 23 seats in the parliament due to which the ruling coalition has gained a majority.

With this, the ruling coalition has 156 lawmakers in the House of Representatives, including 63 from the Nepali Congress, 49 from the CPN-Maoist Center, 23 from the CPN-Unified Socialist and 21 from the Janata Samajbadi Party.

Among them, NC leader Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar, Mohammad Aftab Alam and JSP’s Hari NarayanRauniyar are currently suspended from the Parliament.

On the other hand, since the Mahanta Thakur faction had earlier supported Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba before the split of the JSP, as many as 13 lawmakers from the newly-formed Democratic Socialist Party (DSP) led by Thakur are also on the government’s side.

Resham Chaudhary, a member of the JSP, is also suspended. With this, the ruling coalition now has a total of 169 lawmakers.

A simple majority requires 136 lawmakers in the HoR.

It should be noted that the PM Sher Bahadur Deuba-led government had issued an ordinance paving the way for a party split earlier this month.

On Wednesday, the Election Commission recognized both the new parties – CPN (Unified Socialist) and the Democratic Socialist Party.