KATHMANDU: The Nagarik Unmukti Party led by Ranjita Shrestha is set to appoint Kailash Chaudhary as the new Minister of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment in the Sudurpaschim Province government.
Chaudhary will replace former minister Laxman Kishore Chaudhary, who was forced to resign last Chaitra following the release of an audio recording in which he was allegedly involved in a bribery deal related to the operation of a sustainable forest management project.
Nagarik Unmukti Party Chairperson Ranjita Shrestha has written to the provincial parliamentary party recommending Kailash Chaudhary for the post.
Kailash, a leader considered close to Shrestha, previously served as the Minister for Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives, and in April 2024, briefly held the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development under then Chief Minister Dirgha Sodari.
A meeting of the Nagarik Unmukti Party parliamentary party in Sudurpaschim Province on Tuesday failed to reach a consensus on the new ministerial appointment. Subsequently, the authority to decide on the matter was delegated to party chairperson Ranjita Shrestha and party patron Resham Chaudhary.
Following the decision, preparations are now underway to formally recommend Kailash Chaudhary to the provincial government for ministerial appointment on Wednesday.
Chaudhary previously made headlines when he initially refused to take the oath as a minister without a portfolio, later accepting the post after being assigned the Physical Infrastructure Ministry.
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