Sudurpaschim Province Chief Minister Rajendra Singh Rawal on Thursday lost the position failing to secure the vote of confidence during the floor test in the provincial assembly.

“As lawmakers saying ‘No’ are more in number, I declare that the motion of Rajendra Singh Rawal seeking a vote of confidence is rejected by a majority,” said the provincial assembly speaker Bhim Bahadur Bhandari.

In the 53-member assembly, the opposition Nepali Congress has 19, Unified Socialist 3, and one independent lawmaker, while CPN-UML has 9, Maoist Centre 10, Nagarik Unmukti Party 7, and Rastriya Prajatantra Party 1.

Rawal couldn’t secure the majority in the assembly as one of the ruling coalition partners, the Nagarik Unmukti Party, refused to vote for him.

After the party’s de-facto leader Resham Chaudhary, following an internal discussion with his party members on Tuesday, directed the party’s provincial assembly members not to participate in the voting process, the situation got knottier. As the Nagarik Unmukti Party remained rigid in its demands, the provincial government collapsed just within a month.

CPN-UML’s Rajendra Rawal was appointed the chief minister of the province on January 11, with the backing of 29 assembly members. So, he had to take the vote of confidence by Thursday as per the constitutional provision that states a chief minister must secure a vote of confidence within a month of appointment to the post and the motion should be passed by the majority of the assembly.

Article 168 (4) of the constitution states, “The Chief Minister appointed pursuant to clause (2) or (3) shall secure a vote of confidence from the Provincial Assembly within thirty days after the date of such appointment.”