President Poudel and Deuba Pushing Karki to Withdraw His Government Claim in Koshi

President Ram Chandra Poudel and Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba have pressured Kedar Karki to withdraw his claim for government formation in Koshi Province, according to a source close to NC leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala.

Karki, supported by Dr. Koirala, staked his claim for government formation in Koshi Province with the backing of CPN-UML following NC’s decision to support CPN (Maoist Center) leader Indra Angbo as the next chief minister. Dr. Koirala leads the anti-establishment faction within the NC.

Angbo has also submitted his claim with the support of four parties in the ruling coalition: NC, Maoist Center, CPN (Unified Socialist), and Janata Samajbadi Party.

Chief Minister Parshu Ram Khapung set a Friday deadline for parties to stake their claim for government formation, and Angbo has the support of all 29 assembly members of NC in his claim, although eight of them have expressed support for Karki. Province Chief Parshuram Khapung is preparing to have assembly members declare their support in person before deciding the next chief minister.

The source reported, “President Poudel is urging us to withdraw our claim. Gyanendra Bahadur Karki has also relayed President Deuba’s message that Karki’s claim should be withdrawn.”

Dr. Koirala vehemently opposes NC’s decision to support Angbo, who has only 13 members in the 93-member province assembly, saying, “I decided to support our own candidate for chief minister after the NC leadership attempted to weaken NC’s presence in Koshi Province, as they have done in the center. This is my effort to secure the future of NC. We’d rather remain in the opposition than be a weak partner in the government.”

The General Secretaries, Gagan Kumar Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma, have voiced their support for Deuba’s decision, with Thapa having close ties to Dr. Koirala.