Congress and UML are once again in the race to run the government in the province. President Gagan Thapa and Vice President Bishwaprakash Sharma are themselves trying to change the leadership of the provincial government.

UML President KP Sharma Oli and top leaders of the Congress have held repeated talks on the issue of government reshuffle in the province.

Even though Congress has given Vice President Bishwaprakash Sharma the responsibility to reach an understanding with the UML, President Thapa has also met Oli. Thapa had only reached Gundu to meet Oli last Sunday. A leader close to Oli informed that during the meeting, discussions were held on the unity of the constitution-making forces and cooperation in the provincial government.

Sharma, on the other hand, met UML President Oli for the second time in Gundu on Tuesday. Before that, he had also gone to meet Oli with Joint General Secretary Uday Shamsher Rana on Baisakh 29.

Out of the 7 provinces, the Congress is in the leadership of 4 and the UML is in 3. The two parties have reached an understanding to continue the Madhesh provincial government, which was reorganized just 5 and a half months ago, and to change the leadership in the remaining 6 provinces. The Congress is in power in Bagmati, Gandaki and Sudurpaschim. The UML is in power in Koshi, Lumbini and Karnali.

Madhesh Chief Minister Krishna Prasad Yadav is seeking a vote of confidence on Friday. The Provincial Assembly Secretariat has already sent a notice to the MPs that the vote of confidence will be taken at 1 pm. UML parliamentary party leader and former Chief Minister Saroj Kumar Yadav said that discussions are underway on giving a vote of confidence to the Congress.

Congress General Secretary Gururaj Ghimire said that the issue of government reorganization will be finalized in a few days. ‘Both parties have both views, reorganization will take place after an understanding is reached on this,’ Ghimire said.

UML leader Rajan Bhattarai also said that a decisive dialogue is underway with the Congress. According to him, the Congress has claimed the leadership of all four provinces. However, UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli is also trying to involve the NCP. The NCP has sought a partnership in the provincial government. According to Bhattarai, the NCP has claimed the leadership of the Far West province.

The NCP is the largest party in the Far West. In the total 53-member provincial assembly, the NCP has 22 MPs, the Congress 18, the UML 11, and the RPP 1 MP. Independently elected Tara Prasad Joshi resigned from the provincial assembly and contested the February 21 House of Representatives elections. He was elected from Dadeldhura from the RPP.

‘I understand that the Congress has made it a ‘position’ to get the leadership in four provinces.’ Since the NCP has a claim in the Far West, our party chairman has said that we should take him along, but the Congress was not accepting it,' Bhattarai said. Bhattarai claims that all the opposition parties have come together because the ruling party poses a threat to the constitution and democracy.

The issue of Koshi Province has also complicated the delay in government reorganisation in the province. The then Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba and Oli had an informal understanding not to run the chief ministers of their respective provinces. Recalling that agreement, Oli has tried to give continuity to Koshi Chief Minister Hikmat Bahadur Karki.

However, even if Thapa and Sharma come under the leadership of the Congress, they want to give continuity to Kamal Bahadur Shah, the Chief Minister of the Far West, who is considered close to Deuba.

With the change in the Congress leadership, Deputy President Sharma has become dominant in Koshi politics. Sharma has expanded his political influence by replacing former General Secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula. Sharma was also keen to make Bhishma Raj Angdembe of Panchthar the leader of the parliamentary party. Now his focus is on the Koshi provincial government. He has insisted on changing the leadership in Koshi to make the leader of the provincial parliamentary party, Uddhav Thapa, the chief minister. Thapa has been close to Sharma for some time after leaving the Sitaula camp.

In the past, there have been frequent changes in the government in the province. With the change of the central equation, there has been a tradition of changing the government in the province as well.

After 2079, the first government was formed in an alliance including UML, Maoists and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Then, Congress/Maoist, UML/Maoist and finally Congress/UML were formed in the federal government. All of them had an impact on the federal government.

In the past three and a half years, the government has changed the most times in Madhesh. After that, Koshi has changed 5 times, Gandaki, Lumbini, and Sudurpaschim have changed 4 times. Bagmati has changed 3 times, and Karnali has changed 2 times.

The equations have also changed in Bagmati and Koshi due to internal power struggles within the party. Frequent changes of government have raised big questions from the general public about the implementation of federalism.

After assuming leadership through the special general convention, Congress President Thapa and Vice President Sharma had announced that they would end this trend of distorting politics. They also brought the concept of 'Congress 2.0' to give a new message. However, within a few months of assuming leadership, Thapa and Sharma have also started to be criticized after they started engaging in the old power game. A Congress chief minister said that the change of the provincial government in the face of the budget policy and program has started having a psychological impact on all work.

Congress General Secretary Ghimire said that the leadership had to be changed to work according to the pace and spirit of the center for the remaining one year based on the old agreement.