DHANGADHI: Sudurpashchim Province Chief Najir Miyan has rejected both claims made for the position of chief minister.

Citing insufficient evidence of majority support for both lawmakers from the Nagarik Unmukti Party, Province Chief Miyan has extended the deadline by two days for them to reaffirm their claims for the Chief Minister post.

With this development, the path appears to clear for CPN-Unified Socialist leader Dirgha Sodari to ascend to the role of chief minister in Sudurpashchim.

In the recent race for the chief minister’s seat in Sudurpashchim, Laxman Kishor Chaudhary from the Resham Chaudhary faction of the Nagarik Unmukti Party and Kailash Chaudhary from the faction led by Chairperson Ranjita Shrestha had both vied for candidacy, asserting they had majority support from lawmakers.

Laxman claimed backing from Nepali Congress, CPN-Unified Socialist Party, and his own Nagarik Unmukti Party, while Kailash asserted support from CPN-UML, CPN-Maoist Center, and Nagarik Unmukti Party.

In a surprising turn, Unified Socialist withdrew its support for Laxman on Tuesday, reshaping the political landscape of the province.

Earlier, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ had pledged to grant the Sudurpaschim province chief minister’s post to Unified Socialist in his meeting with party leader Jhalanath Khanal.