KATHMANDU: Bagmati Province Chief Minister Bahadur Singh Lama appointed three new ministers on Wednesday, just a day after losing a vote of confidence as leader of the Nepali Congress parliamentary party.
According to the Chief Minister’s Office, Congress provincial assembly member Govinda Lamsal has been appointed Minister for Internal Affairs and Law, Maya Shrestha as Minister for Youth and Sports, and Geeta Gurung as Minister for Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation.
The appointments come after five ministers resigned last week in support of Indra Bahadur Baniya, the provincial party president of the Nepali Congress and Lama’s rival within the party.
Meanwhile, coalition partner CPN-UML has objected to the move. As preparations were underway for the swearing-in ceremony, UML’s Bagmati parliamentary party leader Jagannath Thapaliya called Chief Minister Lama and urged him to postpone the oath-taking.
Lama had lost a vote of confidence on Tuesday, receiving support from only 15 lawmakers while 22 voted against him. His ministerial appointments amid this uncertainty have added to the ongoing political turmoil in the province.
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