A no-confidence motion has been filed to remove Kamal Bahadur Shah from the post of parliamentary party leader.
According to lawmakers, the motion against Shah, who is also the chief minister, was registered on Tuesday at the Nepali Congress parliamentary party office.
Nine members of the provincial assembly, including lawmaker Diwan Singh Bista, have filed the motion demanding Shah’s removal from the position of party leader.
Speaking to Setopati, lawmaker Bista confirmed that the no-confidence motion has been registered against Shah.
“We are 18 lawmakers in Sudur Paschim. One of them, Prakash Deuba, is in the United States,” he said. “Out of the remaining 17, nine members are in favor of changing the party leader.”
He further said that Shah, who also serves as chief minister, should resign from the post now.
Dissident lawmakers from the NC are reportedly backing Bista as the next parliamentary party leader.
Chief Minister Shah is considered close to former party president Sher Bahadur Deuba and had recently participated in a factional gathering organized by the Deuba camp in Sudur Paschim.
A similar leadership change had previously taken place in Bagmati province, where NC lawmakers filed a no-confidence motion against parliamentary party leader Bahadur Singh Lama Tamang. Later, after an internal election, Indra Bahadur Baniya became parliamentary party leader and chief minister.