National
Sudurpaschim Chief Minister Shah sworn in
The chief minister appointed nine members including six ministers and three state ministers.Arjun Shah
Kamal Bahadur Shah, the newly appointed chief minister of Sudurpaschim Province, took his oath of office and secrecy before Province Head Najir Miya on Monday.
After swearing-in, the chief minister appointed six ministers and three ministers of state, forming a 10-member council of ministers. The ministers and state ministers were also sworn in later on the day.
Unlike before, the formation of the Council of Ministers did not face challenges as the issue of power-sharing between the coalition partners was immediately resolved. Chief Minister Shah successfully managed to allocate portfolios to the ministers and ministers of state.
Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, and Nagarik Unmukti Party formed the present ruling coalition in Sudurpaschim.
As part of power-sharing in the provincial government, Nepali Congress got three ministerial portfolios along with two ministers of state, including the chief minister whereas the CPN-UML got three ministerial portfolios and one state minister. The Nagarik Unmukti party is given one ministry in the Cabinet.
From Nepali Congress, Bahadur Singh Thapa has been assigned to the finance ministry and Meghraj Khadka to the social development ministry. Prakash Bahadur Bam and Saraswati Khadka have become state ministers at the ministry of finance and the ministry of social development respectively.
Likewise, Surendra Bahadur Pal became the minister for physical infrastructure, Bir Bahadur Thapa the minister for land management, agriculture, and cooperatives, and Hira Sarki the minister for internal affairs and law representing the UML in the cabinet. Nirmala Saud has been made the state minister for the ministry for physical infrastructure development.
Laxman Kishor Chaudhary, representing the Nagarik Unmukti Party, has been appointed as the minister for industry, tourism, forest, and environment.
This is Shah's second term as the chief minister. He had earlier headed the provincial government for 14 months from February 9, 2023, to April 4 this year.