POKHARA: CPN-UML has expanded its role in the Gandaki government by securing four ministries.
Under the leadership of Nepali Congress’s Surendraraj Pandey, UML now holds the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development and Transport; the Ministry of Agriculture, Land Management and Cooperatives; the Ministry of Health; and the Ministry of Industry and Tourism.
The ministers appointed are Prakash Bahadur KC for the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development and Transport; Padma GC for the Ministry of Agriculture, Land Management and Cooperatives; Krishna Pathak for the Ministry of Health; and Mitralal Basyal for the Ministry of Industry and Tourism.
They were sworn in on Monday.
Following the agreement to allocate four ministries to UML, Chief Minister Pandey increased the total number of ministries to nine.
Independent MP Deepak Manange, who was initially assigned to the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development and Transport, has been reassigned to the Ministry of Forests and Environment to accommodate UML’s significant role.
Prakash Bahadur KC, who now oversees the Physical Infrastructure Ministry, is a proportional representation MP.
UML standing committee member and leader of the Gandaki State Assembly Parliamentary Party, Khagaraj Adhikari, played a key role in KC’s appointment to this prominent position.
Padma GC, now responsible for the Ministry of Agriculture, Land Management and Cooperatives, was elected from the Nawalpur 2 constituency ‘A’.
Krishna Prasad Pathak, assigned to the Ministry of Health, is a proportional MP from Baglung and is known to be close to Khagraj Adhikari.
Similarly, Mitralal Basyal, appointed to the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, was elected from the Provincial Assembly ‘B’ and is a senior state assembly member, aligned with Deputy Secretary General Prithvisubba Gurung.
Among the new UML ministers, Mitralal Basyal and Padma JC are associated with Prithvisubba Gurung, while Prakash Bahadur KC and Krishna Pathak are close to Khagaraj Adhikari.
Despite the involvement of 22 UML MPs, including Bhim Karki and Ganeshman Gurung, only those closely aligned with Adhikari or seen as moderate were selected for ministerial positions.
Bindukumar Thapa has been appointed Minister of Social Development, Youth, and Sports, while Dr. Tankaraj Gurung is the Minister of Economic Affairs.
Nepali Congress has also included independent MP Deepak Manange and Nepal Samajwadi Party’s Phanindra Devkota in the government.
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