Koshi Chief Minister Uddhav Thapa on Sunday expanded his Cabinet, inducting two ministers from the CPN (Maoist Centre) and one from the Nepali Congress.

Jeevan Acharya of the Maoist Centre has been appointed the minister for economic affairs and planning, while portfolios have not been assigned to Rajendra Karki of the Maoist Centre and Ram Kumar Khatri of the Nepali Congress.

The newly appointed ministers were sworn in by provincial head Parshuram Khapung.

With the expansion, the Cabinet is now six-strong.

Nepali Congress parliamentary party leader Thapa had taken oath as the new chief minister on Friday along with ministers Pradeep Kumar Sunuwar of the Congress and Kamal Prasad Gabeju of the CPN (Unified Socialist).

Acharya was the minister of tourism, forest and environment for four months in the earlier Hikmat Kumar Karki-led government.

A dispute had erupted in the Maoist Centre parliamentary party after Acharya expressed his desire to become a minister again.

After the disagreement escalated, the party assigned the responsibility to finalise names for ministerial berths to provincial assembly leader Indra Bahadur Angbo, province in-charge Ram Karki and province chapter chair Hark Bahadur Nembang.

A provincial assembly meeting of the party held on Saturday had decided to send Narayan Bahadur Magar from Udayapur as a minister. Leaders argued Karki’s name was picked later after Congress finalised the name of Ram Kumar Khatri of Udayapur as a minister.

Maoist Centre provincial assembly members, who refused to be named, accused the leaders recommended the name of Rajendra Karki along with Acharya as ministers acting under pressure and influence.

In less than four days of the government formation, discontent is brewing in the ruling coalition.

The CPN (Unified Socialist) has expressed its dissatisfaction over the recent Cabinet expansion.

Unified Socialist leader Rajendra Kumar Rai said an environment of consensus and cooperation within the alliance has been foiled ‘as ministerial berths were allocated unilaterally’, adding the party will not support the chief minister in the floor test ‘if he moves ahead unilaterally’. The party’s leaders snubbed the oath-taking ceremony.

It is said the party is dissatisfied after the chief minister refused to appoint its assembly member Khinu Langwa Limbu of Ilam as the minister for physical infrastructure and development.

On Thursday, provincial head Khapung appointed Thapa as chief minister as per Article 168(2) of the constitution after he laid claim to lead a new majority government with the signatures of 46 lawmakers and Speaker Baburam Gautam.

Meanwhile, a hearing on a writ petition filed by the CPN-UML at the Supreme Court against the government formation has been slated for today.

The UML had filed a writ petition at the apex court on Friday after the ruling alliance showed the majority to form the government by including the signature of the provincial assembly Speaker Gautam.