Sudur Paschim Chief Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah has dismissed three ministers and one minister of state representing the CPN-UML in the provincial government.
Chief Minister Shah removed the UML ministers on Wednesday, accusing the party of non-cooperation on the budget for the fiscal year 2026-27 despite being part of the ruling coalition.
According to the chief minister's public relations and press advisor, Dambar Bal, Shah had called the UML ministers earlier in the day to inquire about the party's views regarding the budget.
The coalition partner, UML, had been expressing dissatisfaction with the budget even since it was presented on June 15.
UML lawmakers had even registered a proposal to cut expenditure in the provincial assembly.
The ministers representing the UML in the Congress-led government were Minister for Physical Infrastructure Development Surendra Bahadur Pal, Minister for Land Management, Agriculture, and Cooperatives Bir Bahadur Thapa, Minister for Internal Affairs and Law Hira Sarki, and Minister of State for Physical Infrastructure Development Nirmala Devi Saud.
The Sudur Paschim provincial government has allocated a budget of Rs 37.7 billion for the upcoming fiscal year.
Due to opposition from the coalition partner, the budget could not be presented in the provincial assembly for 22 days. Although it was tabled on July 7, the process has not moved forward beyond general discussions. Under legal provisions, the budget must be passed by Thursday.
