Saroj Singh Kushwaha, a Madhesh provincial assembly member from the Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal (JSP-N), has been suspended again after the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filed a chargesheet against him.

The provincial assembly on Friday issued the suspension notice following the filing of charges on Thursday.

Kushwaha was taken into custody by the CIAA on June 12, prompting his suspension. On August 29, however, the assembly secretariat lifted his suspension, stating that Kushwaha had been released and no formal corruption charges had been filed in court.

Kushwaha, elected from Mahottari constituency 4 (2), is accused of embezzling funds collected through various consumer committees. The CIAA investigation revealed that money meant for these committees was deposited into the account of his private secretary, Binod Lal Kayastha, and later diverted to Kushwaha’s personal account. The same case has now led the commission to file formal charges against him.

Political observers in Madhesh say Kushwaha’s suspension could put the position of newly appointed Madhesh Chief Minister Jitendra Prasad Sonal in crisis when securing a vote of confidence.

Sonal was appointed chief minister with the support of 56 provincial assembly members. With Kushwaha suspended and two others leaving the Janamat Party to form the Janaswaraj Party, the chief minister may lose three crucial votes in the assembly.

The Madhesh provincial assembly comprises 107 members. Alongside Kushwaha, two other members have already been suspended, including UML MPs Dipendra Thakur and Abhiram Sharma.

The chief minister has to go for the floor test in the provincial assembly and prove a majority in his favour within a month of the appointment.