Prakash Bahadur Deuba expected to be appointed Chief Minister of Far West

Dhangadhi — Prakash Bahadur Deuba from the Nepali Congress is poised to become the Chief Minister of the Far West province.

Central leaders of the Congress have instructed that Deuba be appointed to this position. The Nepali Congress Far West Parliamentary Committee will convene on Friday morning to finalize this decision.

A member of the Congress state assembly indicated that the meeting, scheduled for 11 am, will likely solidify Deuba's appointment. "There has been a kind of consensus at the center. It has almost been agreed to send Prakash ji to the Chief Minister.

We're all here. We will come to Dhangadhi in the morning. There is a party meeting tomorrow at 11 am. The party meeting decides to send Prakash ji to the Chief Minister," said the assembly member.

The Nepali Congress is preparing to replace former Chief Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah with Prakash Deuba, who previously served as the Minister of Physical Infrastructure Development. This decision follows internal party discussions and a move to consolidate leadership roles.

Despite Shah's initial resistance to the separation of the party leader and Chief Minister roles, the majority of assembly members now support Deuba. Former Chief Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah has not responded to calls and has been in Kathmandu for an extended period, engaging in political discussions concerning the Chief Minister position. Alongside Deuba, other contenders include Bahadur Singh Thapa and Diwan Singh Bista.

The Nepali Congress and UML coalition's new power dynamics have intensified the leadership race in Far West. With 18 assembly members from the Congress and 11 from UML, the coalition holds a slim majority of 29 members, just over the 27 required for a majority government.

The Nagarik Unmukti Party, with seven state assembly members, has yet to decide whether to join the coalition or remain in opposition. The new Chief Minister of Far West will seek a vote of confidence on Friday, marking a significant step in the province's political landscape.