Karnali Chief Minister Yamalal Kandel had called a cabinet meeting for 9 am on Wednesday. The ministers participating from the Congress resigned en masse at around 8:15 am. Only Chief Minister Kandel and Minister for Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives Binod Kumar Shah attended the cabinet meeting. 

Social Development Minister Ghanashyam Bhandari, Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning Rajiv Bikram Shah, Minister for Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment Suresh Adhikari and Minister for Water Resources and Energy Development Vijaya Budha, who became ministers from the Congress, resigned on Wednesday. The Congress has not made any decision on whether to take the lead itself or send new ministers. “According to the previous agreement, the Congress should now take the lead of the government or if it does not, new ministers will be appointed,” said Congress Chief Whip Hikmat Bahadur Bista. “This decision will come from the party center rather than here, but there will be no other coalition immediately.” 

UML Chief Whip Tekraj Pachai, however, claimed that the ruling coalition will not be changed immediately. ‘They have only resigned,’ he said, ‘they have not withdrawn their support, so new ministers may have been appointed by the Congress in a day and a half.’ Former dean of Madhya Paschim University Pitambar Dhakal says that the Congress now has three options in Karnali. ‘The Congress will lead the government or send a new minister to this government,’ he said, ‘or else, it will share power with the NCP and withdraw its support for the UML-led government.’ 

Political analyst Durga Prasad Sapkota said that the way is now open for the Congress to form a power alliance with either the UML or the NCP. ‘Since it is a large party in Karnali, it has more bargaining power,’ he said, ‘it can equalize power with both parties by leading it itself.’

UML parliamentary party leader Kandel was appointed Chief Minister on 27 Chaitra 2080. Initially, the UML, which had a power alliance with the then Maoists, had shared power with the Congress since Shrawan 2081. At that time, the two parties had agreed to lead the government half and half for the remaining term. 

The largest party in the 40-member Karnali Provincial Assembly, the Congress, has 15 MPs. UML has 10, including the Speaker, NCP 13 and RPP 1 MP. NCP has taken action against one MP. Karnali government spokesperson and Minister for Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives Binod Kumar Shah said that the matter of changing the government or ministers will not be decided by the provincial level. ‘The current coalition was formed as per the agreement of the center, whatever happens now will be based on the decision of the center,’ he said, ‘We will try to maintain the current ruling coalition as much as possible.’