By Prakash Bikram Shah/Avinash Chaudhari, Dhangadhi, Sept. 6: The newly formed CPN (Unified Socialist) has become the largest party in the Sudur Paschim Provincial Assembly with 14 lawmakers identifying themselves with it.

On Monday, one more lawmaker namely Maya Tamang Bohara verified for the Unified Socialist deserting the CPN (UML) while there were 13 lawmakers with the party till Sunday.

UML lawmakers who want to opt for the Unified Socialist, the splinter party, can do so till 5 pm tomorrow, Monday, as per the Election Commission.

Before the split, the UML, with 25 lawmakers, was the largest party in the Sudur Paschim province. Now, as 14 have joined the Unified Socialist, the UML has only 10 lawmakers with it, and one lawmaker who won as the UML candidate is the speaker in the provincial assembly.

with 13 lawmakers, the CPN (Maoist Center) is now the second-largest party in the province while the Nepali Congress, with 12 lawmakers, is the third and the UML, with 10 lawmakers, is the fourth largest party.

The Rastriya Janata Party has 2 lawmakers and thus it is the fifth-largest, but they have to choose with the Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) or the Democratic Socialist Party (DSP) after the split in the JSP which in turn was formed following unification between the then RJP and Federal Socialist Party (FSP).