Sudurpaschim Chief Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah is set to face a vote of confidence in the provincial assembly on Thursday, July 31.

The move comes after the Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP), a coalition partner, withdrew its support on July 4.

Shah, who was appointed chief minister for the second time on August 4, 2024, is constitutionally required to seek a floor test within 30 days of losing majority support. Article 188(2) of the constitution mandates a vote of confidence if a party supporting the provincial government withdraws its backing.

On Monday, a meeting of the Nepali Congress parliamentary party decided that Shah would table the motion. Chief whip Bikram Singh Dhami issued a party whip under section 28 of the Political Parties Act 2017, requiring all Congress lawmakers to be present and vote in favour of the motion.

Despite the withdrawal by NUP, Dhami said dialogue with the party is ongoing. “We’re hopeful they will support the confidence motion,” he said.

Currently, the Nepali Congress holds 18 seats in the 53-member provincial assembly, while its coalition partner, CPN-UML, has 11. Together, their 29 seats exceed the majority threshold of 27.

Shah can retain his position with support from the UML even if NUP, which has seven lawmakers, votes against him. The remaining opposition includes 10 lawmakers from the CPN-Maoist Centre (excluding the Speaker), three from CPN (Unified Socialist), one from Rastriya Prajatantra Party, and one independent.

Shah previously led the Sudurpaschim government from February 2023 to April 2024 before returning to office in August last year.