Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Newly appointed Chief Minister of Madhesh Province Saroj Yadav has admitted that he pressured Province Chief Sumitra Subedi Bhandari to administer his oath of office.
Speaking at a press meet on Tuesday, Yadav said he urged the Province Chief to swear him in as she was leaving for Kathmandu after appointing him without administering the oath.
He added that opposition party leaders had tried to prevent her from leaving the office after she appointed him under Article 168(3) of the Constitution, which authorizes the Province Chief to appoint the leader of the largest party in the provincial assembly as chief minister if the one appointed under Article 168(2) fails to secure a vote of confidence.
“I did pressure her — I won’t back away from that or lie about it,” Yadav said. “The caretaker chief minister was still in office, and a new chief minister had already been appointed. Without taking the oath, my position would not be active, which would only create more uncertainty in Madhesh Province. So I told her, wherever you are, you should administer the oath right there.”
He further explained, “When I requested that if she couldn’t do it at her office, she should choose an appropriate place to administer the oath. She told me she had already left Janakpurdham and asked if I could come to Bardibas. That’s how the oath was administered at a hotel in Bardibas.”
The Province Chief has drawn widespread criticism for administering the oath of office and secrecy at a hotel in Bardibas — and that too in the early hours of the morning. Following the controversy, the federal government has dismissed her from the position.
