BIRATNAGAR, Aug 1: Baburam Gautam, the Speaker of Koshi Province Assembly, has resigned from the post.
Uddhav Thapa of Nepali Congress was in controversy after the Supreme Court's order regarding the legality of Gautam’s signature to make Thapa the Chief Minister. Today, Speaker Gautam resigned from his post.
Uddhav Thapa, the leader of the Nepali Congress parliamentary party in Koshi Province, staked his claim to the post of Chief Minister on July 6 with the support of Speaker Baburam Gautam. Thapa was appointed the chief minister of Koshi Province on July 6 by the Province Chief Parshuram Khapung.
However, former chief minister Hikmat Kumar Karki filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court on July 7 saying that forming a government with the support of the Speaker is against the Constitution. On July 27, the full bench of the Supreme Court, while hearing the petition, dismissed the appointment saying that the appointment of the Chief Minister with the support of the Speaker was against the constitution.
After the Supreme Court revoked the appointment on July 27, the Chief of Koshi Province, Parshuram Khapung, on the same day, called on the parties to stake claim to the formation of the government according to Article 2 of Article 168 of the Constitution by 1st of August.
Meanwhile, Uddhav Thapa, the leader of Nepali Congress parliamentary party, has submitted a claim on behalf of the alliance for the chief ministership of Koshi Province.
With the support of 29 MPs from Nepali Congress, 13 from Maoist Center, four from Unified Socialist Party and one from Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP), Uddhav Thapa submitted his claim to the chief ministership.