The government has backtracked on its plan to put the ordinance to vote in the House of Representatives and the National Assembly, both scheduled for Thursday.

The agenda was removed after it became clear that the ruling coalition would lack a majority in the National Assembly. Minister for Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Ajay Kumar Chaurasiya informed Speaker Devraj Ghimire and National Assembly Chairman Narayan Prasad Dahal that the ordinances would not be presented today, said UML’s chief whip Mahesh Bartaula.

The agenda was included in the tentative business advisory of both houses scheduled today.

The government withdrew its plan to table the bill at the last moment after it failed to get support from the Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal (JSP-Nepal), which has three seats in the National Assembly. The Upendra Yadav-led JSP-Nepal has yet to decide whether to back the ordinances. While the ruling coalition holds a majority in the House of Representatives, it requires JSP-Nepal’s support in the 59-member upper house to pass the ordinances.

The ruling coalition commands 29 members, including two nominated members, Bamdev Gautam and Anjan Shakya, and needs JSP-Nepal’s backing to secure a majority in the National Assembly. The JSP-Nepal, which supports the KP Sharma Oli-led government, has shown dissent over the land-related ordinance but expressed support for the other five. Though the party gave the trust vote to Oli during the floor test last July, it is not in the Oli Cabinet.

If the ordinances fail to get endorsed by both houses, they will automatically become inactive under constitutional provisions. The KP Sharma Oli government introduced six ordinances while Parliament was not in session, facing strong criticism from opposition parties who accused the government of undermining Parliament’s role.

The ordinances in question include amendments related to governance, public service, economic procedures, privatisation, and land, forest, and national park legislation.