Janakpurdham: Two separate writ petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court demanding the cancellation of the appointment of CPN (UML) parliamentary party leader Saroj Kumar Yadav as the Chief Minister of Madhesh Province.

The petitions were filed by Rakki Prasad Sah, a resident of Janakpurdham-16 currently living in Kathmandu Metropolitan City-35, and Sujit Yadav of Siraha Municipality-20. They have named Province Chief Sumitra Subedi Bhandari and the Office of the Chief Minister and 

Council of Ministers as respondents.
According to the petitioners, Yadav’s appointment violates Articles 168(2) and 168(3) of the Constitution of Nepal, arguing that the provincial government was formed unconstitutionally.

Yadav was appointed as Chief Minister on Sunday and was administered the oath of office by Province Chief Bhandari at a hotel in Bardibas early Monday morning, an event that has drawn widespread controversy.

In a separate filing, Arjun Sah of Sakhuwa Prasauni Rural Municipality-6, Parsa district, has also submitted a writ petition to the Supreme Court seeking that the Chief Minister’s appointment be nullified.

The court is expected to begin preliminary hearings on the petitions soon, amid growing political and legal debate over the constitutional legitimacy of the government formation in Madhesh Province.