With three major parties pulling out of the government, breaking the seven-party ruling coalition formed on December 25, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is now preparing to reshuffle his Cabinet in order to fill as many as 16 vacant ministries.

After the collapse of the UML-Maoist coalition, the prime minister has already joined hands with the Nepali Congress and six other parties and wants a new power-sharing deal at the earliest, leaders said.

The CPN-UML, which was the largest party in the ruling coalition, on Monday decided to pull out of the Cabinet and also withdraw its support to the government. The Rastriya Prajatantra Party did so on Saturday, while the Rastriya Swatantra Party had quit the government in the first week of this month.

The Janamat Party, the Nagarik Unmukti Party and the Janata Samajbadi Party, meanwhile, ditched the previous alliance and joined the new one led by the Congress and the Maoist Centre. Leaders said the prime minister will have a tough time sharing powers among the eight parties.

Thinking that Cabinet expansion could help keep the coalition intact and garner support for the presidential polls scheduled for March 9, the prime minister is preparing to start discussions to fill vacant Cabinet positions from Tuesday.

“Though the meeting of the new coalition is yet to be fixed, I think discussions will start from tomorrow,” said Jagannath Khatiwada, spokesperson of the CPN (Unified Socialist), a constituent of the new coalition. “We had not expected the UML to pull out so soon. Now things may move fast.”

Manahari Timilsina, media expert to the prime minister, said the ruling parties are expected to discuss the allocation of ministerial portfolios within a day or two, as the ministries cannot be kept vacant for long.

In the previous Cabinet, the Janamat Party was dissatisfied with its leaders not getting desired ministry, the Janata Samajbadi Party opted out of the government after failing to get the desired ministries while the Nagarik Unmukti Party refused to join the Cabinet as its demands were not fulfilled.

“We will join the government only after our leader Resham Chaudhary is released from jail,” said Ratan Thapa, general secretary of the Nagarik Unmukti Party.

The UML’s decision on Monday to pull out of the government helped the prime minister to pick ministers from the newly-formed coalition partners.

On Monday, all eight UML ministers tendered their resignations to the prime minister, while four RPP ministers did so on Sunday.

“We have now decided to pull out of the Cabinet and withdraw our support to the government as the prime minister made public comments against us and was preparing to remove UML ministers,” said Bishnu Poudel, deputy prime minister and finance minister, following the party meeting.

He said the prime minister was preparing to either remove UML ministers or make them ministers without portfolios.

Earlier on Sunday, the UML had decided to wait until the presidential election scheduled for March 9.

However, party leaders were left fuming after the prime minister stopped Foreign Minister Bimala Rai Poudyal from visiting Geneva to attend a high-level session of the UN Human Rights Council a few hours before she was to leave for the airport even though her visit had been approved by a Cabinet meeting.

According to leaders privy to the development, tentatively, the Congress, the largest party in parliament, could get the ministries vacated by the UML, while the Maoist Centre wants to keep the Home Ministry for itself. The ministry has been vacant after Rabi Lamichhane, the Rastriya Swatantra Party chair, resigned following the Supreme Court’s decision on his citizenship. The RSP’s three remaining ministers had resigned after the prime minister refused to give Home Ministry to his party.

Congress leaders said, in the first phase, only a handful of ministers may be chosen from among coalition partners so as to develop confidence among them before the presidential election, and the Cabinet will get full shape only later.

“There can be discussion in the new coalition to send one or two ministers from its partner parties to the government so that some confidence is built before the presidential polls,” said Gagan Thapa, general secretary of the Congress. “The UML was expected to stay put in the government until the polls but it left. The parties will now discuss a Cabinet reshuffle as the ministries cannot remain vacant for long.”

After two major parties supporting the government (the UML and the RPP) decided to withdraw their support, the Dahal-led government will have to seek a vote of confidence as per the constitution.

The UML will now act as the main opposition party, paving the way for the Constitutional Council to resume its functioning.

On Friday, the government registered a bill to amend the Constitutional Council (Functions, Duties, Powers and Procedures) Act at the House of Representatives.

The new bill has proposed a provision whereby, among the six-member council, its chairperson and at least two members can nominate office-bearers for constitutional bodies.