Two months after the Supreme Court revived the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) to its pre-May 2018 stage, the party on Wednesday withdrew the support it had lent the KP Sharma Oli government in February 2018.

Maoist Centre Chief Whip Dev Gurung registered a letter at the Parliament Secretariat on Wednesday morning, stating that the party has withdrawn its support to the government.

With this, the Oli government has been reduced into a minority.

The party’s Standing Committee meeting took a decision to withdraw the support to the government on Tuesday, two days after Oli decided to seek a confidence vote in the Parliament.

In the letter about withdrawing the support, undersigned by Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the Maoist Centre has Oli of continuously violating the constitution instead of stepping down after the Supreme Court overturned his decision to dissolve the House.

Oli on December 20 had dissolved the House and called snap polls for April 30 and May 10. But on February 23, the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court overturned Oli’s decision, calling it unconstitutional. The court asked authorities to call the House meeting within 13 days. Accordingly, the House meeting was called for March 7.

But hours before the House meeting convened, the Supreme Court in yet another dramatic verdict, invalidated the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) and revived the CPN-UML and the Maoist Centre.

The UML and the Maoist Centre had merged in May 2018 to form the Nepal Communist Party (NCP).

“Oli should have taken a vote of confidence immediately after the Supreme Court verdict on March 7, but he did not do so,” reads the Maoist Centre letter submitted to the Parliament Secretariat. “And instead of calling a regular session of the House, Oli has called a special session just to seek a vote of confidence. Therefore, as per the party’s decision, the support extended to the Oli government has been withdrawn from today.”

In an unexpected move, Oli on Sunday told his Cabinet members that he would go for a floor test on May 10. Accordingly, the President on Sunday evening summoned the House meeting for May 10.

Ever since the two parties were revived, Oli had challenged the Maoist Centre time and again to withdraw its support if it really wanted to unseat him.

The Maoist Centre, however, was in a bid to form a coalition government under the leadership of the Nepali Congress. But for that, they needed the support of the Janata Samajbadi Party, which was already in talks with Oli.

Just as Oli was questioned over not stepping down on moral grounds even after the Supreme Court overturned his decision to dissolve the House, Dahal too faced criticism for not withdrawing the support, as many said it should have done so as soon as the court invalidated the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) and revived the UML and the Maoist Centre.