Govt decides to hold local level by-election on December 1

Kathmandu, Sept. 16: The government has decided to hold the by elections in local levels on December 1, 2024. 

According to Minister for Communication and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung, a meeting of the Council of Ministers held in Singha Durbar on Sunday evening took the decision to this effect.

Talking to the media persons after the Cabinet meeting, Minister Gurung said that the government took the decision to hold the by-election in the vacant 39 posts of the local bodies as per the recommendation of the Election Commission Nepal after meeting with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Sunday.

According to the Election Commission, there are 39 vacant positions, including chiefs, chairpersons, and district coordination committee chiefs of different local levels.

The positions of chiefs are vacant in Kirtipur Municipality of Kathmandu, Gramnath of Morang and Mahabu Rural Municipality of Dailekh. 

The posts of deputy chief are vacant in Gaurishankar Rural Municipality of Dolakha, Nalagadh of Kalikot and Tripurasundari of Dolpa.

Additionally, Bhupendra Budha, the deputy chief of Putha Rural Municipality in Rukum East, passed away in a vehicle accident on Friday. 

The Election Commission has stated that if formal notification of the vacancy is received, the by-elections can also be held in Putha on the same date. 

Earlier on Sunday, Chief Commissioner of the Election Commission-Nepal Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya along with other officials of the EC met Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Sunday and advised the Nepal government to fix the date of the by-elections of the local levels for December 1.

During the meeting,  Prime Minister Oli said that the government would study the proposal of the EC and fix the date of the by-elections. He also urged the EC officials to hold the elections in a free, fair and peaceful manner.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, Chief Secretary Eak Narayan Aryal and others were present on the occasion.

Meanwhile, the government has decided to prorogue the ongoing budget session of both Houses of the Federal Parliament from the mid-night of September 16. 

The government has decided to recommend President Ramchandra Paudel to prorogue the House session from September 16 midnight, said Minister Gurung.  

At present, the CPN-Maoist Centre has been obstructing the Parliament over the term 'violence' used to denote Maoist insurgency by CPN-UML lawmaker Yogesh Bhattarai. 

According to Minister Gurung, the final session will be held on Monday before it concludes in the midnight.

Joint Secretaries transferred Likewise, the government has transferred Pradeep Pariyar, the Chief Administrative Officer of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. The Cabinet meeting held last Thursday transferred 40 Joint Secretaries, including Pariyar. Pariyar has been transferred to the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.

Saroj Prasad Guragain of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Supplies, has been transferred to the KMC as Chief Administrative Officer.

According to the transfer list, the Chief Administrative Officer of Pokhara Metropolitan City, Shyakrishna Thapa, has been transferred to the Ministry of Home Affairs. 

Similarly, Shivaraj Chaulagain of the National Dalit Commission, has been transferred and assigned as the Chief Administrative Officer of Pokhara Metropolitan City.

The Cabinet meeting has also transferred the Directors-General of three departments, including the Department of Transport Management.

Likewise, Uddhav Prasad Rijal, Director-General of the Department of Transport Management (DoTM) under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, was assigned to the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers in Madhes Province. Rijal had taken on the responsibility of Director-General only seven months ago.

Likewise, Rajeev Pokhrel, the Provincial Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism in Madhes Province, has been transferred to the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport.