Sudurpaschim Chief Minister Dirgha Bahadur Sodari resigned from his position addressing a provincial assembly meeting on Friday.

The provincial assembly meeting was scheduled to vote on a motion of confidence tabled by the chief minister. However, Sodari announced his resignation during the same meeting.

Addressing the provincial assembly, Sodari thanked everyone who had supported his appointment as chief minister. The chief minister then went to the Office of the Province Head to submit his resignation.

The Sodari-led government was reduced to a minority after the CPN-UML withdrew its support to his government on July 4 following the dramatic changes in the ruling coalition at the centre.

Sodari, a leader of CPN (Unified Socialist), was appointed chief minister of the province on April 18 with the support of the CPN-UML, CPN (Maoist Centre), Nagarik Unmukti Party and an independent member despite his bitter relations with the UML’s local politicians. The Unified Socialist was born out of a factional dispute in the UML, with former prime ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhala Nath Khanal forming the new party in 2021.

The process for a new government formation will now start with the resignation of the chief minister.

In the 53-member provincial assembly, the Maoist Centre has 11 members, the UML has 10, Nagarik Unmukti has seven, and the Unified Socialist has four members. The support of 27 members is required to command a majority in the provincial assembly.

As per the July 1 deal reached between the two largest parties–the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML–have agreed to lead three provinces each. The Congress is to lead Bagmati, Gandaki and Sudurpaschim provinces and the UML Koshi, Lumbini and Karnali provinces. The two parties have already formed the provincial governments as per the two-party agreement in other provinces except for Sudurpaschim. The Congress and the UML have supported Janamat Party’s chief minister in Madhesh Province.