No-confidence motion registered against Karnali Chief Minister Kandel

SURKHET: Opposition lawmakers have registered a no-confidence motion against Karnali Chief Minister Yamlal Kandel.

Lawmakers from the Nepali Congress (NC) and the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) registered the motion on Thursday.

A total of 16 lawmakers, five from the NC and 11 from the NCP, have proposed NC parliamentary party leader Jeevan Bahadur Shahi as the province’s new Chief Minister. Although the NC has 14 lawmakers in the Karnali Provincial Assembly, only five have signed the no-confidence motion.

According to NCP Chief Whip Krishna Bahadur BC, the no-confidence motion was registered as part of efforts to form a new ruling coalition.

The move comes a day after Nepali Congress (NC) ministers withdrew from the UML-led provincial government.

A support of 21 lawmakers is required to form a government in the 40-member Karnali Provincial Assembly. NC and NCP have 14 members each in the provincial assembly, while UML has 10 and RPP has one lawmaker. The provincial assembly also has one independent lawmaker.