Lokendra Bahadur Chand: The Final Prime Minister of the Panchayat System

In Kathmandu, on Chaitra 24, 2046, Radio Nepal broadcasted the proclamation of then King Birendra Shah. Amid rising demands for the restoration of democracy and the peak of the people's movement, the cabinet led by Marich Man Singh was dissolved, paving the way for Lokendra Bahadur Chand to call for the formation of a new cabinet. King Birendra, in his proclamation, emphasized the need to uphold peace, security, and stability in the country by understanding the tradition of people's consent. Due to significant damage caused during the Jan Andolan, the current cabinet was unable to fulfill this, leading to the dissolution of the cabinet as per Article 81, Clause 1 of the Nepalese Constitution, with Lokendra Bahadur Chand being invited to form a new cabinet. After the apparent reluctance to consider any alternative to the Panchayat system, King Birendra summoned high-ranking officials, including former Prime Ministers, to a meeting at Narayanhiti Royal Palace the previous night. The meeting was attended by former Prime Ministers such as Surya Bahadur Thapa, Kirti Nidhi Bista, Nagendra Prasad Rijal, Lokendra Bahadur Chand, former ministers Vishwanath Thapa, Rajeshwor Devkota, Ramhari Sharma, Vedananda Jha, and the Chairman of the National Panchayat, Navaraj Subedi. During the meeting, King Birendra proposed the removal of the non-party system from the Panchayat Constitution and the formation of a cabinet under his chairmanship. As discussions on the formation of the cabinet became contentious, the meeting continued late into the night. Disagreements arose with Surya Bahadur Thapa and Ramhari Sharma expressing their dissent towards the King's proposal. However, former Prime Ministers Kirti Nidhi Bista and Lokendra Bahadur Chand supported the King's decision. At that time, Kirti Nidhi Bista and Navaraj Subedi suggested against forming a cabinet under the King's chairmanship. After considering various options, it was eventually decided to appoint former Prime Minister Chand as the Prime Minister to engage in discussions with multiple political parties. Accordingly, on the morning of Baisakh 1, a broadcast of the King's address was made by Radio Nepal and Nepal Television. On Chaitra 24, under Chand's leadership, a four-member cabinet was formed, consisting of Chand as the Prime Minister, along with ministers for the Royal Palace Affairs, Defense, Home and Law, Finance, Water Resources, Foreign Affairs, and Education. This cabinet was empowered to engage in discussions with leaders of various political ideologies and the public's desire for constitutional amendments through the formation of a Constitutional Amendment Commission.