KATHMANDU: Bagmati Province Chief Minister Bahadur Singh Lama has lost his position as the leader of the Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party following a split in party ranks.
In a parliamentary party meeting held on Tuesday, only 15 lawmakers stood in support of Lama, while 22 backed his rival, Jagannath Khatiwada Baniya. This internal divide comes after an internal no-confidence motion was filed against Lama by members of his own party, triggering intense political maneuvering in recent days.
Despite two lawmakers who had signed Friday’s no-confidence motion switching back to Lama’s side, Baniya managed to secure the backing of 22 lawmakers by convincing Water Supply Minister Shyam Kumar Khadka to resign and join his camp.
With a clear majority now in his favor, the process to remove Lama as party leader has begun. The Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party is set to elect a new leader on Wednesday, which could pave the way for Baniya to become the next chief minister of Bagmati Province.
However, Baniya’s path to power is not without hurdles. If Lama retaliates by encouraging lawmakers to cross the floor during the confidence vote, it could block Baniya’s rise to the top provincial post once again.
Baniya was elected in 2022 from Makwanpur-2 (Province Assembly Constituency 2) as a joint candidate of the ruling alliance that included the Maoist Centre. He won with 18,716 votes, defeating UML’s Lal Bahadur Thapa Magar by a margin of 1,782 votes.
Although he was previously a contender for the chief minister’s position, the party chose Lama from Nuwakot over him. Now, Baniya appears to be on the brink of finally securing the post—pending a smooth transition and internal party unity.
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