The CPN (Maoist Centre) has left the Gandaki provincial government with the resignation of two of its ministers on Wednesday.

Minister for Internal Affairs and Law Hari Bahadur Chuman and Minister for Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives Lekh Bahadur Thapa, who were representing the Maoist Centre in the provincial cabinet, tendered their resignations to Chief Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung. However, the Maoist Centre has yet to formally withdraw its support from the provincial government.

The Maoist Centre was criticised from various quarters for sticking in the provincial government despite it condemning Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s move to dissolve the House of Representatives.

“We have decided to leave the government, as we were blamed for staying in the government despite voicing our criticisms towards it. The party decided to leave the government as per the direction of the party’s central leadership, decision of the parliamentary party and a thorough analysis of the recent political developments. However, our support to the government remains,” said Chuman.

The Maoist Centre’s parliamentary party decided to call back its ministers from the government on Wednesday morning. Immediately after the parliamentary party meeting, Chuman and Thapa Magar reached the Office of the Chief Minister and tendered their resignations. Chuman, in the capacity of Maoist Centre’s parliamentary party leader, addressed the provincial assembly meeting later in the day and announced his resignation.

Chief Minister Gurung thanked the outgoing minister duo for their work in the government in the last 38 months.

The resignation of the Maoist Centre’s ministers poses no immediate threat to the Gurung-led provincial government. The CPN-UML has 27 seats in the 60-member Gandaki provincial assembly. Only one of them is close to Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal faction. Three members of Rastriya Janamorcha and Rajiv Gurung, who was elected as an independent candidate from Manang, also support the government.