KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress leader Indra Bahadur Baniya has been elected as the leader of the party’s Bagmati Province Parliamentary Party.
He defeated incumbent Chief Minister Bahadur Singh Lama in the election held on Wednesday in Hetauda, the provincial capital.
Out of the 37 Congress members in the provincial assembly, Baniya secured 22 votes while Lama received 14. One vote was declared invalid.
Just a day earlier, on Tuesday, a no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Lama had passed with a majority in the party’s parliamentary meeting.
Baniya had filed the no-confidence motion on July 24 with the signatures of 21 provincial assembly members. Interestingly, the motion was filed on the exact date marking one year since Lama assumed office as Chief Minister of Bagmati Province.
According to Article 18(6) of the party’s provincial parliamentary statute, 25% of members can submit a written motion of no-confidence against the leader to call a meeting. Article 18(7) requires the member-secretary to inform the central committee through the provincial committee and call a meeting within 15 days of receiving such a notice.
However, Lama called the meeting just five days after the motion was registered.
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