Sudurpaschim province CM to take a vote of trust

Sudurpaschim Province Chief Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah has stepped up preparations for taking the vote of confidence in the provincial assembly.

Chief Minister Shah is preparing to take a vote of confidence from the province assembly within coming March 5, his secretariat shared.

As part of his preparation for a vote of confidence, Shah has intensified meetings and discussions with senior leaders of the ruling coalition partners, including CPN (Unified Socialist), CPN (Maoist Centre), and Nagarik Unmukti of late.

Some days ago CM Shah had separately called on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba in Kathmandu. "Chief Minister Shah has been making necessary consultations with the Speaker regarding the vote of confidence process. He has intensified parleys with all political parties in the province assembly except UML to this effect", CM's secretary Dhirendra Shahi said.

Shah who was appointed the CM on February 9 as per Article 168 (3) of the Constitution has to take a vote of confidence within coming March 10.

As the parliamentary party leader of the Nepali Congress in the provincial assembly, Shah has appointed the CM with the backing of 26 province assembly members including that of the CPN (Unified Socialist).

He needs support from 27 province assemblies to secure the vote of confidence. In the 53-member province assembly, NC has 19 members followed by UML (10), Maoist Centre (11) with Speaker, Nagarik Unmukti (7), Unified Socialist (4), and RPP and Independent one each.

CM Shah is confident of securing the vote of confidence in the province assembly with the change in the political equation at the center lately, his personal secretary Shahi claimed.

It may be noted that UML parliamentary party leader Rajendra Singh Rawal who was appointed the CM of Sudurpaschim Province immediately after the November general elections had resigned from the post after failing to secure a vote of confidence.

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