DHANGADHI: The provincial assembly of Province 7 on Friday has voted with majority in favour of the proposal to name the province 'Sudurpaschim', despite objection from opposition party Nepali Congress (NC) and Rastriya Janata Party (RJP).

Out of the total 53 lawmakers in the province, 38 lawmakers of the ruling parties voted in favour of the proposal while 14 lawmakers from NC and RJP refused to cast votes and boycotted the meeting.

Likewise, the lawmakers also approved Godawari Municipaity in Kailali as the province capital.

According to state spokesperson Prakash Shah, lawmakers decided the name and capital of the province in accordance with the rights conferred to them by the constitution.

On the contrary, opposition party NC leader Rana Bahadur Rawal slammed the decision and remarked that communist lawmakers did not consider opposition’s views and showcased a “totalitarian character”.

Dhangadhi, Dipayal witness protests

The locals in Dhangadhi and Dipayal in the province have continued their protests expressing discontent over name and capital of the province.

Amid the protests, the local administration deployed police personnel in numbers to secure a safe passage for lawmakers into the provincial assembly building picketed by protestors on Friday.