Janakpur, Nov. 20 -- The Madhesh Provincial Assembly on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to remove Speaker Ramchandra Mandal, endorsing a motion accusing him of "conduct unbecoming of his office" with 76 votes-well above the two-thirds threshold of 72. No member voted against the motion while Mandal was absent.

The proposal had been registered on November 13 by 64 lawmakers from seven parties-Nepali Congress, Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal, Janamat Party, CPN (Maoist Centre), Loktantrik Samajbadi Party, CPN (Unified Socialist), and the Nagarik Unmukti Party. These parties had intensified protests, alleging that Mandal repeatedly acted to protect CPN-UML's interests and obstructed their participation during critical constitutional proceedings...