Kathmandu: Six sitting ministers of the Sher Bahadur Deuba-led five-party coalition government in Nepal, including Home Minister Balkrishna Khand, have lost elections to the House of Representatives.
The ministers of the incumbent government who lost the November 20 election include three candidates from the Nepali Congress, two from the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) (CPN-Maoist Centre) and one from the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Socialist) (CPN-Unified Socialist).
Home Minister Khand, Minister for Water Supply Umakanta Chaudhary, and Minister of State for Prime Minister’s office Umesh Shrestha of the Nepali Congress lost the election to the HoR.
Similarly, Minister for Energy Pambha Bhushal and Minister for Youth and Sports Maheshwor Jung Gahatraj from CPN-Maoist Centre also lost the Parliamentary election.
Likewise, Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Jeevan Ram Shrestha also lost the election as the candidate of the CPN-Unified Socialist.
However, the sitting ministers who lost the parliamentary election have not yet resigned from their respective posts.
There is a provision in the Nepalese Constitution that allows non-Parliament members to remain in the ministerial position for a six-month period. They will remain in the ministry until the new government is formed.
So far results of 158 seats have been declared. The ruling alliance led by the NC is moving towards a clear majority, allowing them to form a new government. The counting of votes is almost complete, with the results of six seats yet to be announced.
A party needs at least 138 seats to form a majority government in the 275-member House of Representatives.