Out of 40 members of the provincial assembly, including the Speaker, 22 have already become ministers. The province has had two governments since the November 2022 polls.
Raj Kumar Sharma of CPN (Maoist Center), who was appointed Chief Minister on January 11, 2023, appointed 10 ministers from CPN-UML and Nepali Congress. Sharma appointed Mangal Bahadur Shahi, Krishna Bahadur GC, Bhim Prakash Sharma, and Urmila Bishwakarma from his party as ministers. Similarly, Tekraj Pachai, Jit Bahadur Malla, and Binod Kumar Shah from UML, and Bedraj Singh, Khadga Pokharel, and Krishna Kumar BC from Nepali Congress were appointed to his cabinet.
UML’s Yamalal Kandel was appointed Chief Minister on April 9. He appointed Sher Bahadur Budha and Gamata BK from his party to his cabinet. Likewise, he appointed Mahendra KC, Rana Singh Pariyar, Durga Bahadur Rawat, and Bir Bahadur Shahi from the Maoist Center as ministers. After Maoist Center ministers exited his government following the formation of a new coalition with the Nepali Congress, Kandel appointed Ghanashyam Bhandari, Rajiv Bikram Shah, Bijaya Budha, and Suresh Adhikari from Nepali Congress to his cabinet.
Since NC and UML have agreed to lead the provincial government by turns, the province will see one more chief minister and at least seven more ministers in the next three years.
Most Ministers from the Maoist Center
The highest number of ministers appointed so far in this term of the provincial assembly are from the Maoist Center. Nine assembly members from the Maoist Center have become ministers in the Karnali cabinet. While Raj Kumar Sharma became Chief Minister, Mangal Bahadur Shahi, Krishna Bahadur GC, Bhim Prakash Sharma, and Urmila Bishwakarma from his party were appointed ministers. Likewise, Mahendra KC, Rana Singh Pariyar, Durga Bahadur Rawat, and Bir Bahadur Shahi were appointed as ministers in UML leader Kandel’s government.
Similarly, seven assembly members from NC have become ministers. Bedraj Singh, Khadga Pokharel, Krishna Kumar BC, Ghanshyam Bhandari, Rajiv Bikram Shah, Bijaya Budha, and Suresh Adhikari became ministers in the governments led by Maoist Center’s Sharma and UML’s Kandel.
Likewise, six assembly members from UML were in the Karnali cabinet. Along with Chief Minister Kandel, Tekraj Pachhai, Jit Bahadur Malla, Binod Kumar Shah, Sher Bahadur Budha, and Gamata BK have become ministers.
In the first term of the Karnali Province Assembly, Maoist Center’s Mahendra Bahadur Shahi appointed 11 ministers. He led the provincial government for the first three years after the 2017 polls.
Likewise, Jeevan Bahadur Shahi of NC, who led the provincial government for the remaining two years, appointed 10 ministers.
