The Janata Samajbadi Party has joined the Lumbini provincial government.

Samajbadi Party’s provincial assembly leader Bhandari Lal Ahir was appointed the minister for agriculture and land management on Sunday.

CPN-UML’s Tulsi Ram Sharma, who was previously appointed as the minister for agriculture and land management, has been assigned to look after the office of the chief minister and council of ministers.

Province head Amik Sherchan appointed Ahir as a minister on the recommendation of Chief Minister Leela Giri, said Rishi Ram Panthi, spokesperson for the Office of Province head.

Ahir, who was elected to the provincial assembly from Banke-2 (1),  took an oath of office and secrecy from the province head on Monday morning.

Chief Minister Giri had appointed five ministers from the UML while expanding his Cabinet on February 12. Ahir has been appointed as the minister for agriculture as per the agreement to assign a ministerial position looked at by UML ministers.

Chief Minister Giri on February 12 had expanded his Cabinet, inducting seven new ministers, a month after taking charge of the office.

CPN (Maoist Centre)’s provincial assembly member Jokh Bahadur Mahara was appointed the minister for economic affairs; Maoist Centre’s Indrajit Tharu the minister for physical infrastructure development and UML’s Bishnu Prasad Panthi and Durga Prasad Chaudhary the health minister and the minister for forest and environment respectively.

Likewise, Janaki Prasad Yadav and Tulasiram Sharma of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party were appointed the minister for industry, tourism and transport management and the minister for agriculture and land management respectively.

Chandrakesh Gupta of the Janamat Party was appointed the minister for social development.

The chief minister had also assigned the water supply, rural and urban development portfolio to UML’s Chet Narayan Acharya and the internal affairs, law and cooperatives portfolio to Maoist Centre’s Krishna KC.