UML Pulls Out of Gandaki Government, RPP Emerges as Kingmaker
The CPN (UML) has decided to withdraw from the Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey-led government in Gandaki Province, following an agreement with the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) to form a new power-sharing partnership across all provinces.
The UML Parliamentary Board in Gandaki decided on Tuesday to recall its four ministers from the provincial cabinet, effectively ending the Congress-UML coalition that had been governing the province. Despite the UML’s withdrawal, Nepali Congress leaders said the Pandey-led government remains secure for the time being, citing the continued support of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and the Nepal Samajbadi Party (NSP).
The possibility of forming an alternative UML-NCP government, however, remains uncertain. The 59-member Gandaki Provincial Assembly requires 30 seats for a working majority, and neither the UML-NCP alliance can secure that threshold without support from the RPP. With the RPP holding the balance of power, its position is expected to be decisive in determining the future of the Gandaki provincial government.
The latest political realignment comes amid efforts by the UML and NCP to expand their power-sharing arrangement across provincial governments, potentially reshaping the political equations in Gandaki and other provinces.
