Lumbini Chief Minister Chet Narayan Acharya has expanded his Cabinet, appointing three new ministers on Wednesday, two from the Nepali Congress and one from the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP).

This is the third expansion of the Cabinet, but it is still yet to get a full shape. Chief Minister Acharya appointed Janmajay Timilsina from Bardiya as the minister for social development and Devkaran Kalwar from Nawalparasi West as the minister for forest and environment.

Additionally, Adesh Kumar Agrawal from Rupandehi, representing Ashok Rai's JSP, has been appointed as the minister for internal affairs and law. Despite a minister being expected from either the Loktantrik Samajwadi Party (LSP) or the Nagarik Unmukti Party, the decision on which party will take the first ministerial post is yet to be finalised, leaving the Cabinet still incomplete.

Though there were efforts by the ruling parties in Lumbini to appoint a minister from Nagarik Unmukti in the first phase, pressure from the central level to appoint someone from the LSP has led to one ministry remaining vacant. Out of the 12 ministries in Lumbini, the ministry of youth and sports is still without a minister.

According to the provincial head’s secretariat, the swearing-in ceremony has been scheduled for 8 am on Thursday.

Government Spokesperson and Minister for Agriculture, Land Management, and Cooperatives, Dinesh Panthi, confirmed the expansion of the Cabinet. “The Chief Minister has made the decision and submitted the recommendations for the expansion. We are also preparing to fill the vacant ministry soon,” he stated.

Out of the 12 ministries in Lumbini, the CPN-UML leads five, including the Chief Minister’s position, while the Nepali Congress has five, including the ministry of finance and planning. The remaining two ministries are to be shared between four smaller parties that support the government.

Among the smaller parties, the UML has decided to appoint a JSP minister in the first phase and a Janamat Party representative in the second. Meanwhile, the Nepali Congress has yet to decide between the LSP and Nagarik Unmukti for the first appointment.

Chief Minister Acharya, who secured his position with the support of the CPN-UML and major coalition partner Nepali Congress on July 22, received a vote of confidence from the provincial assembly on August 20.