KATHMANDU: A no-confidence motion has been registered against Jagannath Thapaliya, the CPN-UML parliamentary party leader in Bagmati Province, as part of a plan to remove him from the post and pave the way for Kiran Thapa to lead the parliamentary party.
The motion was registered at the provincial parliamentary party office on Wednesday by Provincial Assembly members including Krishna Silwal and Gyan Bahadur Tamang.
The move comes in line with a plan reportedly backed by UML Chair KP Sharma Oli and Secretary Mahesh Basnet to replace Thapaliya.
Oli had earlier mobilized 14 provincial lawmakers in support of removing Thapaliya. The campaign, led by Basnet, sought to make Bhaktapur lawmaker Kiran Thapa the parliamentary party leader and subsequently the chief minister of Bagmati Province.
The no-confidence motion was filed shortly after Thapaliya was discharged from Bir Hospital on Wednesday and was heading toward his home in Chitwan.
The lawmakers took the motion to the parliamentary party office, but after finding no other staff members present, they reportedly handed the document to an office assistant and left.
“There was a letter for a no-confidence motion. They handed the signed document to the office assistant and left,” an employee at the parliamentary party office said.
Bagmati Province currently has 104 members. A total of 53 lawmakers are required for a majority to form a government. The NCP and UML have 25 lawmakers each, giving them a combined strength of 50.
The Nepali Congress has 36 lawmakers, Rastriya Prajatantra Party has 12, Nepal Workers and Peasants Party has three, and Hamro Nepali Party has two members.
The UML-NCP alliance would need the support of Rastriya Prajatantra Party or one of the smaller parties to secure a majority. However, RPP’s recent position has complicated the power equation in Bagmati.
Campaign to Remove Thapaliya
The campaign to replace Thapaliya had intensified after 14 UML provincial lawmakers signed in favor of making Kiran Thapa the parliamentary party leader.
Oli had summoned all UML provincial lawmakers from Bagmati to Gundu at 7 pm last Monday. Those who had signed in support of Thapa were specifically instructed to attend.
Thapaliya had also gone to Gundu after being summoned by Oli. During the meeting, a dispute reportedly broke out, following which Thapaliya collapsed and was admitted to Bir Hospital on August 4.
He was discharged on Wednesday, and the no-confidence motion was registered soon afterward.
The move has further intensified the internal dispute within the UML over leadership of the Bagmati provincial government.
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