Himal Press 
GANDAKI: Surendra Raj Pandey of the Nepali Congress (NC) has been appointed as the Chief Minister of Gandaki Province.
Province Chief Dilli Raj Bhatta appointed Pandey as the parliamentary party leader of the largest party in the provincial assembly, as per Article 168 (3) of the Constitution of Nepal, 2015, on the order of the Supreme Court.
Pandey was appointed to the position after the Supreme Court formally notified the Office of the Chief Minister that the trust vote received by Khaga Raj Adhikari of CPN-UML had been declared invalid.
Hearing a writ petition filed by Pandey, a division bench of Justices Kumar Regmi and Sunil Kumar Pokharel issued the order on Monday.
As per the legal provision, a majority of 31 members is needed to pass the floor test in the 60-member provincial assembly. In the trust vote held on May 5, Adhikari received 30 votes. However, Speaker Krishna Dhital declared that Chief Minister Adhikari had secured a vote of confidence from the provincial assembly.
Pandey challenged the Speaker’s decision in the apex court.
Chief Minister Pandey will now have to secure a vote of confidence from the provincial assembly within 30 days.
