Kedar Karki of Nepali Congress appointed Koshi chief minister; Prachanda says ruling alliance will vote Karki

Kathmandu / Oct 14: Koshi Province Head Parshuram Khapung on Saturday appointed Nepali Congress lawmaker Kedar Karki as the new chief minister.

Karki was appointed as per Article 168(5) of the constitution after he laid claim to lead a new government producing the signatures of 47 lawmakers, which is a majority in the 93-member provincial assembly, before the province head.

Following the resignation of Hikmat Karki from the chief position, just ahead of the vote of confidence, Province Head Khapung had called on the assembly members to stake their claims on the position by 5pm on Friday.

Karki and Indra Bahadur Angbo of the CPN (Maoist Centre) had both laid their claims as the chief of the 93-strong assembly, asserting the support of 47 lawmakers each.

The province head needed to verify the claims as both Karki and Angbo claimed the support of all 29 assembly members of the Nepali Congress.

As per the decision, the verification of the signatures was conducted early on Saturday at the presence of the province head. However, Angbo failed to show up while Karki reached the province head’s office with the support of 47 lawmakers—eight Congress assembly members and 39 from the CPN-UML.

The CPN-UML, the largest party in the provincial assembly, backed the group of eight Congress members who revolted against their party’s official decision to field Maoist leader Angbo for the position.

Karki will take the oath of office and secrecy on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Congress provincial assembly leader Uddhav Thapa resigned from the post. Thapa said he quit on moral grounds. He is also the president of the Congress Koshi chapter.

Thapa, who was an aspirant for the chief ministerial post this time too, led the government twice but failed to secure a vote of confidence.

Ruling alliance to give a vote of confidence to Koshi Province CM Karki

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that the alliance will give a vote of confidence to Kedar Karki, who was appointed as the Chief Minister (CM) of Koshi Province.

Talking to reporters at Bharatpur Airport, he affirmed that the alliance collectively supports his appointment as the CM. “The issue in Koshi has been resolved, which will ultimately strengthen the alliance,” he said.

Prime Minister Dahal also noted that NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba, and NC rival faction leader Dr Shekhar Koirala reached an agreement this morning. Prime Minister Dahal emphasized the alliance’s unwavering commitment, declaring, “We will not allow the alliance to weaken under any circumstances. Karki has now become the Chief Minister. He is our common Chief Minister,” he said.

Saying that our alliance will continue, he reiterated that leader Karki was chosen as the candidate of the alliance.

In another question, Prime Minister Dahal said that there is no immediate possibility of forming an all-party government in Koshi province. He said, “There may be a possibility. But it cannot be said that it will happen now. The coalition government will continue there.”

Recognizing the economic challenges faced, the Prime Minister conveyed that the government is actively addressing these concerns. He emphasized, “There is currently a lot of economic pressure due to various factors and issues from the past.” Furthermore, he stressed that concerted efforts are required to invigorate the nation’s economy.

The Prime Minister said that with the formation of the government under his leadership, he is making every effort to prevent the economy from deteriorating. He said, “These efforts are not enough. Special efforts are needed to boost the country’s economy.”

In a separate context, Prime Minister Dahal said that the government has already decided to pay for the projects completed by the builders. He argued that a separate structure should be set up for ‘major operations’ as a whole, saying that the payment made to the builders alone will not solve the problem.

He said, “While the budget statement and policy and program are being discussed, it is necessary to develop the economic development model of the country in a new way. We have not done this in the current fiscal year, but in the upcoming year, we will explore new directions while preparing the budget.”