As many as 39 UML lawmakers, who had previously supported Chief Minister Kedar Karki during the floor test, withdrew their support on Monday.

They conveyed their withdrawal of support to Provincial Head Parshuram Khapung and requested him to appoint Hikmat Karki, the UML provincial assembly leader, as the chief minister.

“We, the 39 provincial assembly members, met with the province head and the Speaker and conveyed the decision to withdraw our support,” said UML chief whip Rewati Raman Bhandari.

UML claims that the chief minister now needs to secure a vote of confidence to save his government, as per Article 188(2) of the Constitution. The Article states, if the political party which the chief minister represents is divided or a party in the coalition withdraws its support, the chief minister shall table a resolution in the assembly for a vote of confidence within thirty days.

Bhandari asserted that a majority was ready to form an alternative government following the resignation of three Maoist ministers and the withdrawal of support by both parties.

He said the province head has been urged to convene a special session of the provincial assembly in accordance with Article 183(2) of the Constitution.

“We have conveyed to the Province Head Khapung that the Karki-led government no longer commands the majority of the assembly with the withdrawal of support by majority lawmakers,” said Bhandari. “We have told him to take ahead the process for a new government formation.”

The CPN (Unified Socialist), one of the partners in the five-party alliance, said it will not withdraw its support to the government. The party has four members in the 93-strong provincial assembly while Kamal Prasad Gabeju is Minister for Physical Infrastructure in the incumbent government.

Nepali Congress lawmaker Kedar Karki was appointed chief minister in October last year. Karki was appointed as per Article 168(5) of the constitution after he laid claim to lead a new government producing the signatures of 47 lawmakers, which is a majority in the 93-member provincial assembly, before the province head.

Kedar Karki, who had revolted against the party’s decision to support a Maoist lawmaker for chief minister, had passed the floor test with the overwhelming support of the provincial assembly. The Maoist Centre had also supported the chief minister during the floor test.

Kedar Karki is the eighth chief minister of Koshi Province since the 2017 elections. Karki’s appointment is the fifth since the assembly election in 2022. Before him, Hikmat Karki of the UML and Uddhav Thapa of the Congress were each appointed chief minister twice but their governments collapsed as they failed to secure the trust vote.