Chief Minister Shah preparing to resign amid lack of majority support

Dhangadhi: Sudurpaschim Province Chief Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah is preparing to resign from his post after concluding that he does not have the numbers required to secure a majority in the Provincial Assembly.

Chief Minister Shah is preparing to resign on Thursday. His government has been in a minority since the CPN (UML) withdrew its support on Asad 31. Under constitutional provisions, the deadline for Shah to seek a vote of confidence is 28 Shrawan, which falls on Thursday.

A meeting of the Nepali Congress parliamentary party has been called for 2 pm on Wednesday to discuss issues including the Chief Minister’s resignation.

A total of 27 MPs are required for a majority in the Sudurpaschim Provincial Assembly. The Nepali Congress has 18 MPs, the CPN (UML) has 11 and the CPN has 21 MPs. One CPN MP is suspended.

As the UML and CPN have already agreed to form a new power equation, the possibility of Shah securing a vote of confidence is low.

Under the new power equation, CPN parliamentary party leader Khagraj Bhatta is seen as the prospective Chief Minister of Sudurpaschim Province.