BIRATNAGAR: Koshi Province Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki is set to seek a vote of confidence from the Provincial Assembly on Monday.
The Chief Minister’s Office notified the Koshi Province Assembly Secretariat of his decision on Friday.
Karki reshuffled his Council of Ministers last Monday following a new political power-sharing arrangement between the CPN-UML and the Nepali Communist Party. The Nepali Communist Party is preparing to join the provincial government with its 17 lawmakers.
Karki had previously said he would not seek a vote of confidence unless the Nepali Congress withdrew its support for his government. With the new political alignment, however, he has decided to face the floor test.
The 26th meeting of the ninth session of the Koshi Province Assembly is scheduled to begin at 1 pm today, according to the meeting agenda.
Karki will seek the vote under Article 168(4) of the Constitution of Nepal and Rule 128 of the Koshi Province Assembly Rules, 2074 BS.
The 93-member Provincial Assembly currently has 40 CPN-UML lawmakers and 17 from the Nepali Communist Party, giving Karki the support of 57 lawmakers.
The Nepali Congress has 29 lawmakers, while the Rastriya Prajatantra Party has five, including the Speaker, and the Janata Samajbadi Party has one lawmaker.
