Deepak Manange appointed as minister in Gandaki cabinet

POKHARA: Independent provincial assembly member Rajeev Gurung aka Deepak Manange has been appointed as the Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport of Gandaki Province.

Gurung announced on Sunday that he had quit CPN (Unified Socialist). He was elected to the Gandaki Province Assembly from Manang as an independent candidate but had joined Unified Socialist.

“The Gandaki Provincial cabinet has been reshuffled. The physical infrastructure and transport portfolio has been assigned to Rajiv Gurung,” Narahari Sapkota, press coordinator of Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey, told Himal Press. Likewise, Minister for Agriculture and Land Management Mahendra Dhwaj GC has also been given the responsibility of social development and health ministry, Sapkota added.

Both these ministries became vacant after Chief Minister Pandey dismissed two CPN (Maoist Center) ministers from his cabinet after the formation of a new Maoist Center-UML ruling alliance in the center. Maoist Center subsequently withdrew support from Pandey’s government on March 6.

Chief Minister Pandey will now need to seek a vote of confidence from the province assembly within 30 days. Chief Minister Pandey won’t be able to get a vote of confidence unless he wins the support of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) which has two members in the province assembly.

Parties need the support of 31 members to form a government in the 60-member provincial assembly. Minister Pandey’s party, Nepali Congress, has 27 members in the province assembly. He won’t be able to get the magic number unless he gets the support of RPP.

The CPN-UML and Maoist Center alliance also cannot form a government unless it wins the support of RPP.