KATHMANDU: The ambition of Shankar Pokharel, who staked claim to form a CPN-UML majority government in Lumbini Province immediately after resigning from the post of Chief Minister Sunday, has been dashed by provincial lawmaker Bimala Oli (Khatri), who has defected to the CPN (Maoist Center) from the UML.
With Oli’s entry into the Maoist Center, UML now loses the majority in Lumbini Province Assembly (PA).
The Lumbini PA has currently 81 lawmakers. Among the 81 members, Pokharel’s party CPN-UML now has 40 MPs.
Since the UML needs 41 lawmakers to claim a majority, the UML won’t be able to form a majority government.
Oli had won a by-election from Dang 3 (b) in place of her late husband Uttar Kumar Oli, who was elected from UML, from Nepal Communist Party (NCP), which was formed after unification of UML and Maoist Center. After the Supreme Court dismissed the NCP, she chose the Maoist center.
According to Sudarshan Baral, an MP from the Maoist Center, Oli has already informed the PA about his election.
Though Lumbini PA has a total of 87 lawmakers, six lawmakers lost the seat after their parties took action against them.
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