KATHMANDU: Internal discussions within the CPN-UML over the leadership of the Koshi provincial government have intensified, with party leaders reportedly exploring a change in the chief ministerial post, according to a Khabarhub report.
The report claims that UML Chair KP Sharma Oli has tasked party secretary and Koshi Province in-charge Sherdhan Rai with holding consultations on replacing Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki. Rai, who recently returned from London, reportedly met Oli before travelling to Biratnagar, where he has held discussions with UML provincial lawmakers and other political leaders.
According to the report, Rai has also met CPN (Maoist Centre) parliamentary party leader Indra Angbo as discussions continue over the future leadership of the provincial government.
The report says Oli had earlier agreed to allow Karki to continue as chief minister but later changed course, with efforts now focused on replacing him with Til Kumar Menyangbo.
Karki has reportedly maintained that any decision to replace him must be made through an institutional decision of the UML Secretariat rather than on the basis of verbal instructions. The report further claims that this position has increased tensions within the party leadership.
According to the report, discussions over possible leadership changes have also affected political dynamics in Bagmati and Lumbini provinces, where similar deliberations had been underway.
The report states that after Karki declined to resign, leaders close to Rai began consulting UML provincial assembly members to assess support for a possible change in the parliamentary party’s leadership.
However, under the UML parliamentary party statute, removing the parliamentary party leader requires the support of a two-thirds majority of the party’s current provincial lawmakers. The report notes that securing such a majority may prove difficult, potentially complicating efforts to replace Karki.
Leaders close to Karki have argued that the required two-thirds support is unlikely to materialise and maintain that he cannot be removed without following the party’s formal procedures. Meanwhile, the faction led by Rai reportedly claims it has the backing of a majority of UML provincial lawmakers.
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