Provinces 2, 5, 6 and 7 held the first meeting of their assemblies on Sunday. The maiden Provincial Assembly sessions were concluded by announcing the speaker election and endorsing their working procedures.

Addressing the assemblies, people’s representatives pledged to work for development and prosperity of their province while making efforts to ensure people’s rights.

In Janakpur, the historic meeting was chaired by senior-most member Laganlal Chaudhary as the Provincial Assembly (PA) convened at the Educational Training Centre.

Addressing the meeting, leaders of Madhes-based parties underscored the need for development activities to institutionalise federalism.

They vowed to continue their efforts to “guarantee the Madhesi people the rights by amending the constitution”.

Lawmakers disrupted the assembly meeting for five minutes objecting that pictures of martyrs of the Madhes movement were not put up in the assembly hall.

The meeting resumed after Chaudhary admitted the mistake and instructed officials to place pictures of those who sacrificed their lives during movements and protests in the plains.

Addressing the meeting, Lal Babu Raut, a leader of the largest provincial party Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum Nepal, said that the Madhesi people had endorsed the agenda of constitution amendment, as shown by the results of the federal parliamentary and provincial assembly elections. He blamed the state’s discriminatory policy for underdevelopment and poverty in Province 2.

“This province, the country’s bread basket, would not be so weak economically if the state did not practise a discriminatory policy. We’ll work to make Province 2 prosperous by institutionalising the federal system of governance,” he added.

Rastriya Janata Party Nepal leader Jitendra Sonal called the PA meeting “historic” as it formally institutionalised federalism achieved through the sacrifice of hundreds of people. “The demands that the Madhesi people have been raising for the last 65 years have materialised. It’s been our responsibility to protect and promote federalism,” he said. 

Leaders from the CPN-UML, the Nepali Congress and the CPN (Maoist Centre) also addressed the session. The historic meeting endorsed the interim rules of procedure and set February 14 as the date for Speaker election.

In Province 5, the maiden assembly meeting was held with much fervour in Butwal. Addressing the session, leaders of major political parties emphasised that all the political forces should work together for peace and prosperity.

UML Parliamentary Party leader Shankar Pokharel, NC leader Bir Bahadur Rana and Maoist Centre leader Kul Prasad KC, among others, addressed the meeting chaired by senior-most member Baladev Sharma Pokharel. The meeting also scheduled speaker election for February 14 and endorsed the working procedures.

In Surkhet, leaders of the major parties pledged at the first meeting of the Provincial Assembly to carry forward development works in Province 6. 

The assembly was chaired by senior-most member Him Bahadur Shahi. The meeting has scheduled Speaker election for February 12.

In Dhangadhi, major party leaders promised to find the common agenda for development and prosperity as the Province 7 Assembly met. UML leader Bhim Rawal and Maoist Centre leader Lekhraj Bhatta, among others, attended the meeting chaired by Dibyashwori Shah. RJP-N leader and MP-elect Resham Chaudhary, who is wanted by police for his involvement in the Tikapur massacre of 2015, was absent from the meeting.

The assembly endorsed the PA working procedure and set February 12 as the date for Speaker election.

(With inputs from our local correspondents)