Who Will Be Assigned Leadership Roles in the Rastriya Swatantra Party’s Parliamentary Wing?

Summary: The Rastriya Swatantra Party has initiated internal discussions regarding the nomination of Indira Ranamagar as the Deputy Leader of its parliamentary faction. Preparations are underway for appointing the party Vice Chairperson DP Aryal as Speaker, while Kavindra Burlakoti is being considered for the position of Chief Whip. Priority will be given to former MPs for selecting chairpersons of parliamentary committees, and the chairperson of the Women and Social Affairs Committee will be chosen from among female parliamentarians.

Kathmandu, 31 March: Following the completion of the government formation process, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), the largest party in the House of Representatives, has begun internal consultations about assigning responsibilities within its parliamentary faction.

The RSP has already appointed senior leader Balendra Shah as the Parliamentary Party Leader, who has since become Prime Minister. Discussions are now ongoing about who should assume the role of Deputy Leader of the parliamentary faction.

According to a top party leader, internal talks are focused on appointing Indira Ranamagar as Deputy Leader, though no final decision has been made. Ranamagar was also considered for ministerial and Speaker positions; however, ministerial appointments have been finalized while DP Aryal, the party’s Vice Chairperson, is expected to become Speaker, leading to her nomination as Deputy Leader for the parliamentary faction.

Indira Ranamagar, elected from Jhapa-2, previously served as Deputy Speaker and was a proportional representation MP in the last parliament when she also held the Deputy Speaker post for RSP.

As one senior leader stated, “Indira Ranamagar’s name has been discussed within the party for the Deputy Leader position of the parliamentary faction.” Previously, Birajbhakta Shrestha served as the Deputy Leader of the parliamentary faction for RSP. The Deputy Leader is elected by the parliamentary party leader and authorized to assist the leader and preside over meetings in their absence.

According to the party’s statutes, the federal parliament leadership includes positions such as parliamentary party leader, Deputy Leader, Chief Whip, Whip, and Treasurer. The Treasurer post is rarely appointed; in the previous parliament, the Janamat Party held this position.

Discussions on assigning parliamentary responsibilities are ongoing following government formation. Reliable sources indicate that Vice Chairperson DP Aryal will almost certainly become Speaker. Aryal, a founding Vice Chairperson of RSP, previously served as acting Speaker, is a former Labor Minister, served as a proportional representation MP in the last session, and this time was elected from Kathmandu-9.

Kavindra Burlakoti, founding co-General Secretary of the party who won this time from Gorkha-2 after previously losing, is being considered for Chief Whip. Party sources also suggest Nisha Dangi is likely to be appointed Whip; she was a proportional representative MP and member of the Infrastructure Development Committee, now elected from Jhapa-1.

Within RSP, talks are ongoing regarding the selection of parliamentary committee chairpersons. There are currently 10 parliamentary committees in the House of Representatives, with the possibility of adjustment in their number during the rules formulation process. Holding nearly a two-thirds majority, RSP can reduce or increase committees as it desires. It is customary for the chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee to come from opposition parties, although in the previous parliament, the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (UML) refused to appoint opposition members to that post.

According to an RSP leader, priority will be given to MPs from the previous parliament for committee chairperson roles. He mentioned that Manish Jha, Ganesh Parajuli, and Hari Dhakal – all Secretariat members and with Jha also serving as party spokesperson – are likely to be appointed as committee chairs. The chairperson for the Women and Social Affairs Committee will also be a female MP.

RSP MPs have been requested to express their preferences for committees they wish to join, encouraging consideration of their expertise and interests.