The CPN (Maoist Centre) is set to withdraw its support to Koshi Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki.

A meeting of the Maoist parliamentary party Koshi province on Monday had decided to withdraw support to the UML-led government after a discussion in the party’s province committee on Tuesday.

Ram Karki, provincial in-charge of the party, said the decision on the withdrawal of the support will be taken today as per the decision of the central leadership to form a coalition government in the province.

Province head Parashuram Khapung on January 8 had appointed Karki as the chief minister of the province as per Article 168 (2) of the constitution after he laid claim to the post with the support of 60 members. He was backed by the CPN (Maoist Centre), the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and the Janata Samajbadi Party apart from his party UML.

The Janata Samajbadi Party has already withdrawn its support to the government.

If the Maoist Centre withdraws support to the government, the chief minister needs to secure a vote of confidence within 30 days to prove his majority.

In the 93-member provincial assembly, the UML has 40 seats, the Nepali Congress 29, the Maoist Centre 13, the RPP 6, the CPN (Unified Socialist) 4, and the Janata Samajbadi Party one seat.

Both the Congress-led bloc and the UML-RPP alliance have 46 seats each, adding to the difficulty of crafting a ruling coalition. What further complicates the matter is that the UML is the largest party in the province.