Himal Press 
JANAKPURDHAM: Madhesh Chief Minister Krishna Prasad Yadav has expanded his cabinet.
In line with an agreement among ruling coalition partners to appoint one minister from each party ahead of the vote of confidence, Yadav inducted two ministers into his cabinet on Monday.
Along with the new appointments, portfolios have also been assigned to two ministers who were previously appointed as ministers without portfolio.
Chief Minister Yadav has appointed Rani Sharma Tiwari of the Loktantrik Samajwadi Party (LSP) Nepal as Minister for Education and Culture, while Jawaharlal Kushbaha of the CPN (Maoist) Center has been appointed Minister for Energy, Irrigation, and Water Supply.
Province Chief Dr Surendra Labh administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers on Monday afternoon.
Similarly, Chief Minister Yadav has assigned the Ministry of Health and Population to Jangilal Rai of the Nepali Congress and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism to Kanish Patel of CPN (Unified Socialist). Among the three ministers appointed earlier, only Mahesh Yadav of the Janamat Party had been assigned a portfolio, i.e. Ministry of Finance.
The Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) Nepal, a key constituent of the ruling alliance, has not yet joined the government. The party is preparing to enter the government after the election of the Speaker.
Although JSP Nepal has been stating that it will join the government after the vote of confidence, disputes persist over the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development, which is also claimed by the Nepali Congress and the Maoist Center.
Ongoing disagreements over the portfolio had led to delays in Chief Minister Yadav’s vote of confidence. A meeting held on Monday morning agreed, for the time being, to appoint one minister from each party before the trust vote, with the remaining portfolios to be finalized after the Chief Minister passes the floor test.
Chief Minister Krishna Prasad Yadav is scheduled to seek a vote of confidence at 4 pm on Friday.
Meanwhile, the coalition partners have decided to hold the election for Speaker on Wednesday. JSP Nepal, which is certain to get the post, has not made its choice.
