Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Four ministers from the Nepali Congress (NC) have resigned from the Bagmati Province Government, laying bare the ongoing factional politics within the party.
Minister for Youth and Sports Min Krishna Maharjan, Minister for Internal Affairs and Law Suraj Chandra Lamichhane, Minister for Culture and Tourism Bimal Thakuri and Minister for Cooperative and Poverty Alleviation Madhu Kumar Shrestha tendered their resignations to Chief Minister Bahadur Singh Lama on Friday.
“I am returning to Kathmandu after submitting my resignation to the Chief Minister,” a minister told Himal Press over the phone.
Chief Minister Lama is close to the anti-establishment faction of the NC led by Dr Shekhar Koirala.
NC sources say the plan now is to elect Indra Singh Baniya, who is close to the establishment faction of the party, as the leader of the NC’s parliamentary party in the Bagmati Province Assembly and make him the next Chief Minister.
NC has 37 members in the Bagmati Province Assembly. Lama had defeated Baniya in the election for parliamentary party leader by five votes after the 2022 general election. NC sources say Baniya has now amassed the support of 24 provincial assembly members of the party.
NC lawmakers were dissatisfied with Chief Minister Lama due to allocations made in the budget for the fiscal year 2024/25. They accuse Chief Minister Lama of favoritism and ignoring their suggestions in the budget-making process. NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba has reportedly given his consent to change the parliamentary party leader in the province. NC sources say Chief Minister Lama had refused Deuba’s instruction to step down.
According to an NC source, 21 lawmakers of the party have signed a no-confidence proposal submitted at the party’s parliamentary office.
A support of 19 lawmakers is needed to change the parliamentary party leader. Lama will lose his Chief Minister’s position if he is removed as the parliamentary party leader.
