Oli takes oath as Nepal's 38th prime minister

PRASHANT ACHARYA, EOI, Siliguri, 12 Oct 2015: It was a momentous occasion today in the history of Nepal when Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli took the oath of office after the new constitution came into force in the neighbouring country. President Ram Baran Yadav, who is from the plains region of Nepal, administered the oath even as Madeshi parties continue to agitate for changes in the constitution. 

The oath-taking ceremony was held at Sheetal Niwas in Maharahgunj, Kathmandu. Oli was elected as the 38th premier of Nepal when he defeated Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala yesterday by garnering 338 votes. Oli was supported by UCPN (Maoist), Rastriya Prajatantra Pary-Nepal, Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Loktantrik and 11 other parties. The new prime minister has formed a small cabinet by incorporating two deputy prime ministers, Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal chairman Kamal Thapa, and Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-Democratic chairman Bijay Kumar Gachhadar. The other ministers include Agni Prasad Kharel, Som Prasad Pandey and Satya Narayan Mandal of the CPN-UML, Haribol Gajurel of UCPN-Maoist and Ram Kumar Subba of RPP-Nepal.

India’s ambassador to Nepal, Tanjit Rae, went to Oli's residence this morning to covey his greetings to the new prime minister. He also conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's congratulatory message to Oli. Modi has reportedly invited his counterpart to India. Speaking to the media later, Deputy Prime Minister Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar said the new constitution will be amended with revisions on the federal structure in order to address the demands of the Madheshi and Terai parties.