The first female Chief Minister Asta Laxmi Shakya tendered her resignation from her position on Wednesday before the Provincial Assembly went for the voting process.

With the split in UML after Madhav Kumar Nepal formed CPN (Unified Socialist), Shakya was in minority. Of the 56 members of UML, 13 had chosen to support CPN (Unified Socialist). Now UML has only 43 members and the 109-member Provincial Assembly needs at least 55 members to form a new government.

Shakya handed in her papers to Provincial Chief Yadav Chandra Sharma after announcing her resignation while addressing the Provincial Assembly meeting.

Following her resignation, Provincial Chief Sharma called for the government of two or more parties as per article 168(2) of the constitution. The provincial chief has set a Thursday 3 pm deadline to lay claim for the post of the chief minister.

As the leader of the single largest party, CPN-UML Shakya was appointed the chief minister of Bagmati province as per article 168(1) on August 18.

Now the alliance of five parties—Nepali Congress, CPN (Maoist Centre), CPN (Unified Socialist), Janata Samajbadi Party and Rastriya Janamorcha have decided to support CPN (Unified Socialist)’s leader Rajendra Pandey for the post of the chief minister.

“I will take the oath of office and secrecy on Thursday afternoon,” said Rajendra Pandey, leader of CPN (Unified Socialist) and the leader of its parliamentary party.

Though the Nepali Congress leaders have been claiming that they have forged an agreement to run the province in turn the leaders of CPN (Unifies Socialist) have denied the existence of such an agreement.

Pandey denied that there was a deal to run the province in equal half terms with Nepali Congress.