Chief Minister Pokharel’s resignation, to form government again as majority party

KATHMANDU: Lumbini Chief Minister Shankar Pokharel has resigned from the post. Pokharel, who is facing a no-confidence motion, has resigned as the leader of the majority parliamentary party in accordance with Article 168, Clause 1 of the constitution.

Chief Minister Pokharel met province chief Dharmanath Yadav and submitted his resignation while the no-confidence motion against the government was on the agenda in the Lumbini provincial assembly. The council of ministers has also instructed Yadav to immediately accept his resignation and form the provincial government until another government is formed.

At present, there are only 81 members in Lumbini after the resignation of six members of the provincial assembly. As the UML has 41 MPs, the UML will now have a single majority. Chief Whip Bhumishwar Dhakal told Nepal Press that Chief Minister Pakharel had resigned to form a single government of the CPN-UML.

The no-confidence motion was filed by the Nepali Congress, the CPN-Maoist Center and the People’s Socialist Party on 19th April. He then tried to save the post by appointing four People’s Socialist Party MPs as ministers.  People’s Socialist party has suspended all four of its MPs.