Two members of Gandaki Province Policy and Planning Commission resign

KATHMANDU: Two members of the Gandaki Province Policy and Planning Commission, Maya Timsina and Deepak Bhandari, have resigned from their positions.

Timsina, appointed from the Nepal Samajwadi Party quota led by Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, and Bhandari, appointed from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) quota, submitted their resignations on March 30.

Timsina was appointed on July 5, 2024, followed by Bhandari a month later. Their appointments were part of Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey’s strategy to consolidate power after securing his second term through a Supreme Court mandate.

Despite changes in national politics, Pandey later inducted Bhandari into the commission without significant consideration for the CPN-UML, leading to visible discontent from the party.

With the ruling UML pressuring for changes, both members resigned on the same day as the government prepared to reshuffle key positions.

The vacant positions will now be divided between the Nepali Congress and UML, with the Congress securing the female member’s seat as required by the constitution. While the UML has already finalized its nominee, the Congress is yet to make its selection.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pandey had reappointed Dr. Krishna Chandra Devkota of Gorkha as the vice-chair of the commission on May 30, 2024.