The CPN-UML withdrew its support to the Bagmati provincial government on Monday.

The party’s provincial ministers submitted their resignations to Chief Minister Shalikram Jamkattel notifying him of the party’s decision to withdraw support to the provincial government.

Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning Jagannath Thapaliya; Forest and Environment Minister Keshav Prasad Pokharel; Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Eka Lal Shrestha; and Minister for Industry, Commerce, Land and Administration Prakash Shrestha submitted their resignations to the chief minister.

The UML had joined the Jamkattel-led government in late March with the induction of Thapaliya into the provincial Cabinet. The other leaders were also sworn in for various ministries in April.

The UML ministers’ exit from the provincial government has come a few days after the party quit the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government at the centre. The UML broke the alliance with the Maoist Centre last week and joined hands with Nepali Congress.

The two largest parties have reached an agreement to form a new government under the leadership of UML chair KP Sharma Oli.

The UML last week withdrew its support to the Lumbini Province government which is led by Jokh Bahadur Mahara of the Maoist Centre and the Sudurpaschim government led by Dirgha Bahadur Sodari of CPN (Unified Socialist).

Similarly in Madhesh Province, the Cabinet expansion process has been delayed after a dispute among coalition partners regarding the allocation of ministerial portfolios. The Nepali Congress and the Loktantrik Samajbadi Party are adamant about leading four and two ministries, respectively.

Madhesh Chief Minister Satish Kumar Singh, a leader of the Janamat Party, secured a vote of confidence from the provincial assembly on Saturday after the coalition partners—Janamat Party, the Congress, the UML and Loktantrik Samajbadi Party—reached an agreement to expand the Cabinet.

Out of the 101 provincial assembly members present at Saturday’s assembly meeting, 67 members cast their votes in favour of the chief minister while 34 voted against him. Lawmakers from the chief minister’s Janamat Party, the UML, the Congress, the Loktantrik Samajbadi Party and the Nagarik Unmukti Party voted in favour of the trust motion while the Janata Samajbadi Party, the Maoist Centre, the CPN (Unified Socialist) and the Nepal Sanghiya Samajbadi Party voted against.

“The chief minister agreed to allocate four ministries to the Congress before he garnered the trust vote. Mistrust has increased because the chief minister intends to retain the Economic Affairs and Planning Ministry for his party,” said Krishna Prasad Yadav, leader of the Congress in Madhesh provincial assembly.

The Congress, the UML and the Loktantrik Samajbadi Party held a meeting on Monday to discuss Cabinet expansion. “The meeting decided to take initiative for the formation of a new government under the leadership of the Nepali Congress if the chief minister does not honour the past deal,” said a Congress provincial assembly leader.

In the 107-strong Madhesh assembly, the support of 54 assembly members is required for a simple majority. The UML (25 seats), the Congress (22 seats) and the Loktantrik Samajbadi Party (8 seats) are enough to form the new government in Madhesh Province.