CPN (Maoist Center) has quit the Gandaki Province government.
Maoist Center took the decision to pull out of the government during a parliamentary party meeting held on Friday.
Hari Bahadur Chuman, parliamentary party leader of Maoist Center, informed Setopati about the party’s decision to quit the government.
Chuman, who is minister for physical infrastructure, and Resham Bahadur Jugjali, who is minister for industry, represent Maoist Center in the Gandaki government.
Both Chuman and Jugjali are preparing to submit their resignation to Chief Minister Khagaraj Adhikari on Friday itself.
Nepali Congress and Maoist Center have agreed to take turns to head the provincial government. But it has yet to be decided who will become chief minister in the first phase.
Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had instructed the Maoist province committee on Thursday to quit the Gandaki government.
CPN-UML parliamentary party leader Khagaraj Adhikari was appointed chief minister of Gandaki Province with the support of Maoist Center and other parties. Adhikari will now have to take a floor test within a month as Maoist Center has withdrawn its support to the government.
UML has 22 lawmakers including the deputy speaker in the Gandaki provincial assembly, while Maoist Center has eight including the speaker. Nepali Congress has 27 lawmakers, Rastriya Prajatantra Party has two and CPN (Unified Socialist) has one.
If Nepali Congress and Maoist Center form a coalition, they would have the majority required for government formation.
