Gandaki CM gives full shape to Cabinet, four from UML

By Phadindra Adhikari, Lekhnath, Sept 2: Gandaki Province government got full shape on Monday after Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey appointed four ministers from UML.

After adding four UML Ministers the nine-member cabinet has been completed. 

Pandey, the leader of the Nepali Congress parliamentary party, was appointed as the Chief Minister as per the order of the Supreme Court. Pandey now has the support of 88 per cent of the members of the Gandaki state assembly. 

In the 60-member provincial assembly, the current government has the support of 53 MPs, including 27 from NC, 22 from CPN (UML), independent MP Rajiv Gurung, MP from Nepali Samajwadi Party Phanindra Devkota, and two from Rashtriya Prajatantra Party (RPP).

About two months after the formation of a joint government of the CPN (UML) and the NC, a government with the support of more than two-thirds has been formed in Gandaki. The ministers who were added to UML took the oath of office and secrecy before the provincial chief Dilliraj Bhatta on Monday.

The ministers appointed are Prakash Bahadur KC for the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development and Transport; Padma GC for the Ministry of Agriculture, Land Management and Cooperatives; Krishna Pathak for the Ministry of Health; and Mitralal Basyal for the Ministry of Industry and Tourism.

Independent MP Deepak Manange, who was initially assigned to the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development and Transport, has been reassigned to the Ministry of Forests and Environment to accommodate UML’s significant role.

Nepali Congress has also included independent MP Deepak Manange and Nepal Samajwadi Party’s Phanindra Devkota in the government. Devkota has been given the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation.