The change in the federal government last month stirred up politics in the provincial capitals, leading sub-national governments to change in quick succession. As the central coalition was altered, new political alliances emerged in the provinces too. However, forming new ruling coalitions has been more difficult than dismantling the existing ones, as the struggles of the newly appointed chief ministers show.

The chief minister of Lumbini Province has split a ministry and increased the number of ministries to 11 from the existing 10 to address demands of ruling parties for ministerial berths.

The Jokh Bahadur Mahara-led government made the decision from a Cabinet meeting of the Lumbini Province on Wednesday.

Coalition partners had been demanding more ministries as government formation took shape. Chief Minister Mahara decided to split the ministry after coalition partner CPN (Unified Socialist) threatened to quit the government should their party not be given any ministerial position. Earlier, the Unified Socialist was not allocated any ministerial position during power-sharing upon the government’s formation.

But the Lumbini chief minister claimed that the decision to increase the number of ministries was not due to Unified Socialist’s threat. “We had decided to increase the number of ministries to 11 from the existing 10 right at the time of planning the coalition, which we implemented today,” Mahara said.

He said that the additional ministry was within the constitutional limit in view of the 87-strong Lumbini provincial assembly. “We have abided by the constitutional provision while increasing the number of ministries,” Mahara told the Post over the phone.

Article 168 (9) of the constitution says that the Province Head, on the chief minister’s recommendation, constitutes the provincial Council of Ministers consisting of a maximum 20 percent of the total members of the Provincial Assembly, including the chief minister, in accordance with the inclusive principle.

The Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens is a new addition in the province. Earlier the domain was under the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture. The new ministry will be led by the Unified Socialist.

Mahara took the decision after three weeks of wrangling over power-sharing following his appointment on April 5.

It is not only Mahara who struggles to give full shape to the provincial Cabinet. Almost each province has its own set of challenges. They are in the initial stage of government forming or in constituting the Cabinet after the chief minister is appointed.

In Sudurpaschim and Gandaki provinces, government formation faces court cases filed by opposition parties objecting to the chief minister appointment process.

Dirgha Bahadur Sodari of the Unified Socialist was appointed the chief minister of Sudurpaschim Province with the backing of the CPN-UML and the CPN (Maoist Centre) on April 18. But he has not been able to expand his Cabinet.

On the same day of his appointment, Chief Minister Sodari administered the oath to Kailash Chaudhary, the provincial leader of Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP), as the minister for physical infrastructure and development. Chaudhary, who was vying for the post of Sudurpaschim chief minister, from the Ranjita Shrestha faction, later ended up becoming the minister for physical infrastructure.

Although the UML supported Sodari as the chief minister of the province, the UML parliamentary party in Sudurpaschim has decided not to join the Sodari Cabinet immediately. Not only the UML, the Maoist Centre has also yet to name its ministers for the Sodari Cabinet.

However, Minister Chaudhary believes the Cabinet will get its full shape soon.

“So far, we two are the only Cabinet members as the UML and the Maoist Centre have decided to send their ministers together [later],” Chaudhary told the Post over the phone. “We hope the Cabinet will get full shape shortly.”

Yamlal Kandel, provincial parliamentary leader of the UML, was appointed the chief minister of Karnali Province on April 9. But for two weeks, Kandel has been unable to expand his Cabinet.

Prolonged negotiations between UML and Maoist leaders at the centre allegedly delayed the Cabinet expansion in Karnali.

But, with the agreement on Wednesday to give four vital ministerial portfolios to the Maoist Centre, the two parties decided to appoint more ministers. With the agreement, Ranasingh Pariyar, the chief whip of the Maoist Centre in Karnali Province, is sworn in as a minister without portfolio.

Though the two parties agreed on power-sharing, the Karnali government remains incomplete. The Cabinet is expected to get a full shape only after Chief Minister Kandel wins the trust vote onThursday, according to an official at the secretariat of Chief Ministry Kandel.

“Today Ranasingh Pariyar took the oath of a minister without portfolio, the expansion of the Cabinet and ministerial portfolios will be decided after the government wins the assembly’s trust, the official said.

In the power-sharing deal, the Maoist Centre, the second-largest party with 13 seats in the assembly, agreed to back Kandel of the UML, which has 10 seats, as the chief minister.

Last week, Kandel visited Kathmandu and held meetings with UML chair KP Sharma Oli and Prime Minister and Maoist Centre chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal on removing the hurdles to Cabinet formation.

Bagmati Chief Minister Shalikram Jamkattel, who won the trust vote on April 1, has still not been able to settle inter-party disputes on ministerial allocations.

The Unified Socialist holds three ministries including the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Transport and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.

“Our party is demanding a restructuring of the ministries according to the agreement reached while forming the government on April 1,” Krishna Khanal, a Bagmati assembly member from the Unified Socialist, told the Post. “With the restructuring, we want every party to hold the ministries with equal weight.”

In Koshi, the government formation process has failed to move ahead smoothly as Chief Minister Kedar Karki has refused to quit despite changes in the coalition at the centre.

The Karki government has been reduced to a minority after the UML-Maoist Centre withdrew their support after the change in coalition partner at Kathmandu on March 4. The two opposition parties in Koshi, however, have asked Chief Minister Karki either to prove his majority in the assembly or resign, which Karki has been defying.

In Gandaki, Khagaraj Adhikari of the UML was appointed the chief minister on April 7. But the Congress immediately challenged his appointment as Speaker Krishna Prasad Dhital was also listed among the assembly members who supported his bid. Surendra Pandey, the Nepali Congress leader in Gandaki Province, filed a petition in the Supreme Court on April 9 arguing that Adhikari’s appointment was unconstitutional as the Speaker was counted among the supporters to muster a majority in Adhikari’s favour. The Supreme Court has taken up the case concerning Gandaki politics.