Bagmati Province Chief Minister Indra Bahadur Baniya is preparing to resign on Monday after the CPN-UML withdrew its support for his government, leaving it in the minority.

The provincial assembly has been called for 1pm today for Baniya to seek a vote of confidence. But according to sources, he plans to address the assembly and submit his resignation to the provincial head before the confidence vote.

Baniya of the Nepali Congress became the sixth person to lead the provincial government in August last year.

The 104-member provincial assembly requires the support of at least 53 lawmakers to form a government.

Baniya’s resignation will clear the way for the formation of a new government in Bagmati, with the UML and the Nepali Communist Party preparing to form a coalition.

The UML has called a parliamentary party meeting for 11am on Tuesday, according to the party secretariat. Sources said the meeting is expected to choose former health minister Kiran Thapa as the parliamentary party leader.

UML chair KP Sharma Oli had earlier instructed the party to remove JN Thapaliya as parliamentary party leader. Eighteen UML lawmakers have also registered a no-confidence motion against Thapaliya with the party secretariat.

The UML plans to finalise its parliamentary party leader before formally staking a claim to form the next provincial government.