National
Raut close to Chief minister’s chair in state 2
The Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal and the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal started discussions in Janakpur on Tuesday to form the government in Province 2.The Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal and the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal started discussions in Janakpur on Tuesday to form the government in Province 2.
During the meeting, leaders of the RJP-N presidium are learnt to have agreed that the chief minister could be from the largest party in the provincial assembly. Earlier, RJP-N leaders had staked their claim to the post in the Madhes province. In the two-party Madhesi alliance, the SSF-N is the larger party.
“It’s obvious for the largest party in the province to get the chief minister,” Mahendra Raya Yadav, a leader of the RJP-N presidium, said after the meeting. The provincial Parliamentary Party of the SSF-N has picked Lalbabu Raut as its leader, who will be elected the chief minister.
The two parties agreed to form a coalition government in the province as they have a majority with 54 members in the 107-strong assembly. The SSF-N has 29 and the RJP-N 25 members in the assembly.
The two parties have agreed to share the ministries on 50:50 ratio while the RJP-N will get the speaker and the SSF-N deputy speaker in the assembly. According to Renu Kumari Yadav, the SSF-N Province 2 in-charge and party vice-chairperson, the two parties had agreed to form a coalition government.
The meeting failed to take concrete decisions on other issues of government as SSF-N Chairman Upendra Yadav was in a hurry to reach Kathmandu to attend a pre-scheduled meeting.
Another meeting of the two parties would be held after two days in Janakpur or Kathmandu to finalise all the major issues of government formation in the province.
Earlier, the two parties held separate internal meetings.