Indra Bahadur Baniya, the president of the ruling Nepali Congress in Bagmati Province, was elected as the party’s provincial assembly leader on Wednesday, unseating Chief Minister Bahadur Singh Lama amid escalating factional tensions.

In a closely watched vote, Baniya secured 22 votes against Lama’s 14. One vote was invalid. The outcome reflects a clear shift in internal support in the party’s provincial leadership.

Wednesday’s election followed a no-confidence motion brought against Lama under Baniya’s leadership. The motion passed on Tuesday with 22 lawmakers backing it. Lama had previously held the post since December 2022, when he had narrowly defeated Baniya by a margin of five votes.

Despite losing his position as provincial assembly party leader, Lama has insisted he will not resign as chief minister. In a move seen as a show of defiance, he appointed three new ministers on the same day the leadership vote was held.

On Friday, five Congress ministers resigned from his Cabinet in protest, aligning themselves with the Baniya faction.

The party’s provincial executive had formed a three-member election committee led by joint general secretary Hari Sharan Shrestha to conduct Wednesday’s vote.

Both Lama and Baniya are regarded as close allies of party president and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, making the leadership battle a significant test for Congress unity in Bagmati.

With Congress having 37 seats in the 110-member provincial assembly, the internal rift has left the future of the provincial government uncertain and exposed deeper cracks in the party’s provincial leadership.