BUTWAL, Feb 14: UML parliamentary party leader in Province-5 Shankhar Pokharel has been appointed Chief Minister the province.

Chief of Province Umakant Jha appointed Pokhrel as Chief Minister of the province in accordance with Article 168 (2) of the Constitution, said Nanat Kumar Dawadi, secretary at Province Chief’s office.

On Monday, Maoist Center’s parliamentary party leader Kul Prasad KC had proposed Pokhrel for the post of Chief Minister with the support from the UML and the Maoist Center.

A press release issued during a press conference mentioned that Pokhrel was appointed Chief Minister in the province with the support of 61 lawmakers from the UML and Maoist Center combined.

The Chief Minister is scheduled to take oath of office and secretary at his private residence Thursday afternoon.

A small size cabinet would be formed on Thursday itself, informed chief whip of the UML, Bhumishwor Dhakal.

BUTWAL, Feb 11: UML and Maoist Center has also claimed the post of chief minister in Province 5.  UML Parliamentary Party leader of the Province Assembly, Shankar Pokhrel, has been proposed for the post based on the consensus between the two left parties.

A letter requesting appointment process as per Article 168 (2) of the Constitution was submitted to the State Chief Uma Kanta Jha. Leader Pokhrel and Maoist Center Parliamentary Party Leader Kul Prasad KC jointly submitted the letter with the signatures of majority number of Provincial Assembly members.

Out of 87 Province Assembly members, UML has 41 and Maoist Center has 20 members. Pokharel was picked as the candidate of the Chief Minister as per the agreement of the left alliance.

Receiving the letter, State Chief Jha said that he was aware about the formation of the government on deadline given by the constitution though it has been delayed as federalism was the first practice in the country.

KATHMANDU, Oct 23: CPN-UML leader Shankhar Pokhrel has argued that the communist alliance is far too scientific than the democratic alliance since the communist parties had united on basis of certain basic principles and policies.

Speaking during an interaction program organized by the Reporters’ Club Nepal on Monday, leader Pokhrel said, “Though UML and CPN (Maoist Center) came from different backgrounds, both the parties are contesting the upcoming federal and provincial elections basing on the same election manifesto. It proves that left alliance has scientific bases.”

“But the Nepali Congress-led democratic alliance is just for contesting the polls. The top leaders of democratic alliance are in afraid of losing the election against the communist alliance. This is the reason they take us as such a burden,” he added.

“In fact communist alliance is the truest challenge to the democratic forces. Now, it is up to people to decide which leader to choose,” he furthered.

Leader Pokhrel further said that it was not appropriate to call the communist alliance unsuccessful on the basis that a number of rebel candidates fielded their independent candidacy in some constituencies.

Pokharel also clarified that there was no reason to the Nepali Congress, the party exercising the democracy, to be worried from the alliance. He added that KP Sharma Oli would be the prime minister if the CPN-UML from the alliance gets chance to lead the government following the upcoming elections.