Parliamentary Party leader of the Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal Mohammad Lalbabu Raut is set to become the chief minister of Province 2.

Raut’s candidacy was confirmed after top leaders of the SSF-N and the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal reached a power-sharing deal for the Madhes province at a joint meeting held in the Capital on Saturday. The two parties that forged an electoral alliance for the federal and provincial elections have agreed to share major provincial seats between them.

The first joint meeting of the parties held in Janakpur had failed to agree on a power-sharing deal as the RJP-N leader had demanded that the chief minister be rotated between the two parties as the party has only four seats less than that of the SSF-N.

“The deck is clear for me to become the chief minister,” Raut said after the meeting. The SSF-N has got the CM, Internal Affairs and Law Ministry; Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry; and the Finance and Planning Ministry besides the deputy speaker post in the Provincial Assembly.

On the other hand, the RJP-N will get the Physical Planning Ministry; Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment Ministry; and the Social Development Ministry besides speaker of the provincial assembly.

Chairman Upendra Yadav, party Vice-chair and PP leader Raut and General Secretary Ram Sahay Yadav were present in the meeting from the SSF-N side. From the RJP-N, leaders of the presidium Mahantha Thakur, Rajendra Mahato and Mahendra Raya Yadav attended the discussion held at the SSF-N’s Tinkune-based central office.

The SSF-N with 29 members and the RJP-N with 25 jointly have a majority in the 107-member provincial assembly. The two parties can form the provincial government without the help of the left alliance or the Nepali Congress. However, SSF-N Chairman Yadav said they would make efforts to include either the left alliance or the NC in the government.