A special session of the Lumbini Provincial government has been adjourned after the provincial assembly received the official notice of Chief Minister Shankar Pokharel’s resignation on Wednesday.

The chief minister submitted his resignation letter to Amik Sherchan, the provincial chief of the Lumbini Province at 1:10pm.

On August 3, the opposition coalition had filed a no-confidence motion against the chief minister. As per the request of 34 members of the state assembly of the opposition party, Sherchan had called the special session of the provincial assembly for 1 pm on Wednesday.

In accordance with the previous schedule of the provincial assembly, the special session of the assembly started at 1:00pm on Wednesday. A while later, a no-confidence motion against the chief minister was tabled in the assembly following which the special session was postponed for an hour.

Purna Bahadur Gharti, speaker of the assembly, resumed the stalled meeting of the provincial assembly wherein Gharti read the resignation letter of the chief minister bringing the special session to an end.

Pokharel, who became the chief minister on the basis of a single majority of the UML as per Article 168 (1) of the constitution, resigned saying that he would pave the way for the formation of the coalition government as per Article 168 (2) of the constitution.

Moving forward, the province chief will announce the parties to form a new government.

There are 41 provincial assembly members in the opposition alliance and 38 provincial assembly members in CPN-UML. Kul Prasad KC, parliamentary party leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), has been proposed as the next chief minister.

Tularam Gharti, chief whip of the Maoist Centre, said, “We are going to send a proposal letter to the provincial chief for the next chief minister. The proposal will be registered in the office of the provincial chief by Wednesday evening.”

This is developing news. Check back for updates.