CPN-UML provincial assembly lawmaker Nanda Gurung has been elected as the Speaker of Karnali Province. With the election, Gurung has become the first female speaker of the province.

Gurung, the provincial assembly Speaker candidate from the UML, defeated Khadak Pokharel of the Nepali Congress by 10 votes in the election held on Sunday.

Gurung secured 24 votes while Pokharel got 14 votes.

The newly-elected Speaker received 13 votes from the CPN (Maoist Centre), 10 from the UML, and one from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party of the ruling coalition, while, Pokharel received 13 votes of the Nepali Congress provincial assembly members and one vote from Kalyani Khadka, a provincial assembly member from the CPN (Unified Socialist).

Gurung was elected a provincial assembly lawmaker from Surkhet under the Proportional Representation category.

Gurung’s nomination was proposed by UML provincial assembly leader Yam Lal Kadel, and was seconded by Raj Kumar Sharma, the provincial assembly leader of the Maoist Centre.

Meanwhile, Pokharel’s nomination was proposed by provincial assembly member Purna Bahadur Khatri and seconded by Bali Maya Budha.

Pokharel is an elected member of the Provincial Assembly from Surkhet 1 (1).

In Sunday’s election, 38 out of 40 provincial assembly members participated in the voting process. Devendra Bahadur Shahi, an independent provincial assembly member, abstained while Congress’ provincial assembly member Hikmat Bahadur Bista did not participate in the voting as he presided over the Provincial Assembly meeting.

Gurung is the second Speaker of the Karnali Provincial Assembly. In 2017, UML state committee member and provincial lawmaker Raj Bahadur Shahi of Dailekh was elected the first Speaker of the province.

Likewise, Speaker Gurung took the oath of office and secrecy from provincial head Tilak Pariyar.

Following her election, Speaker Gurung said that she will play a role in making the Provincial Assembly more effective and enact and implement as many laws as possible during her tenure.

“Due to the lack of laws, the work of the provincial government has not yet become effective, some laws that have been endorsed by the provincial assembly are also facing difficulties in their implementation,” said Gurung.

Out of 64 bills that were registered in the first term in the provincial assembly, 53 bills were passed and 11 bills were inactive.