Janata Samajbadi Party provincial assembly leader Saroj Kumar Yadav has been appointed as the chief minister of Madhesh Province.

Provincial head Harishankar Mishra on Wednesday appointed Yadav as the Chief Minister.

Yadav had staked claim to the post with the support of 63 provincial assembly members from the CPN-UML, CPN (Maoist Center), Janamat Party, and three independent lawmakers.

In Madhesh province, which has 107 seats, the support of 54 assembly members is required for a majority.

Yadav has the support of 23 lawmakers from the UML, 16 from JSP, 13 from Janamat, 8 from the Maoist Centre, and three independent provincial lawmakers.

Yadav, who was elected to the state assembly for the second time from Bara 1 (2), is also the former speaker of the provincial assembly.

The provincial assembly comprises 23 lawmakers from the UML, 22 from Nepali Congress, 16 from Janata Samajwadi Party, 13 from Janmat Party, nine each from Loktantrik Samajbadi Party and Maoist Center, seven from CPN (Unified Socialist), and one each from Nagark Unmukti Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Nepal Sanghiya Samajbadi Party.

With his appointment, Yadav became the second chief minister of Madhesh Province. JSP’s Lalbabu Raut was the first chief minister of the province.