JANAKPURDHAM: Madhesh Province Chief Minister Krishna Prasad Yadav is set to seek a vote of confidence in the Provincial Assembly tomorrow (Saturday).
Provincial Assembly Speaker Ram Ashish Yadav has called a meeting of the Assembly for Saturday to facilitate the vote of confidence process.
According to Speaker Yadav, a meeting of the Business Management Advisory Committee will also be held on Saturday to determine the agenda for the Provincial Assembly meeting, including the proposal for the Chief Minister to seek a vote of confidence.
Chief Minister Yadav is required to seek a vote of confidence after the CPN-UML and the Nepali Communist Party (NCP), both of which were supporting his government, withdrew their support. He had already sent a formal letter to the Provincial Assembly Secretariat on Wednesday, requesting that arrangements be made for a vote of confidence.
Yadav is currently holding discussions with leaders of various political parties in an effort to secure the required majority. He said talks were underway with different parties and that efforts to reach a consensus would continue until the vote was held.
Four UML ministers serving in the Nepali Congress-led government had collectively resigned on October 11 and withdrawn their party’s support. Similarly, four ministers from the Nepali Communist Party had resigned on November 6 and withdrawn their party’s support for the government.
Following the withdrawal of support by the two parties, the government has been reduced to a minority. Chief Minister Yadav is now attempting to realign political forces through negotiations with various parties to ensure the continuation of his government.
At least 54 votes are required to secure a majority in the 107-member Madhesh Provincial Assembly.
The Assembly has 27 members from the Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal, 23 from the CPN-UML, 22 from the Nepali Congress, 15 from the Nepali Communist Party and 12 from the Janamat Party. The Sanghiya Samajwadi Party and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party have one member each.
With only 22 members, the Nepali Congress cannot secure a majority on its own. Chief Minister Yadav therefore needs the support of at least 32 additional lawmakers to win the vote of confidence.
In this context, the Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal, the Janamat Party and smaller political parties are likely to play a decisive role in determining the fate of the government.
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