Himal Press 
NC Whip Dhanalakshmi Shrestha handing over letter of withdrawal of support to Chief Minister Chet Narayan Acharya.
BUTWAL: The Nepali Congress (NC) has exited the Lumbini Provincial Government.
After the CPN-UML and Nepali Communist Party (NCP) announced a new alliance to form provincial governments, the NC withdrew its support extended to Chief Minister Chet Narayan Acharya’s government on Tuesday. Five ministers from the party tendered their resignations on Tuesday.
NC’s Whip in the Lumbini Province Assembly, Dhanalakshmi Shrestha, handed over the resignation letter, along with a formal notice of withdrawal of support to Chief Minister Acharya. The ministers who tendered their resignations include Minister for Urban Development and Water Supply Saroj Thapa, Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning Dhanendra Karki, Minister for Industry, Tourism and Transport Prachanda Bikram Neupane, Minister for Social Development Janmajaya Timilsina, and Minister for Forests and Environment Devkaran Prasad Kalwar.
With the resignation of ministers from the NC, UML and NCP leaders have begun preparation to form a new government in the province. As per the power-sharing deal reached between the two parties, UML will retain the chief minister’s position in the province.
The two parties will now share ministerial posts among them and pick their lawmakers to join the cabinet.
UML and NCP together have 41 members in the 87-member provincial assembly. A majority of 44 is needed to form a government in Lumbini. They will have to seek the support of fringe parties like Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP), Janamat Party, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party (LSP) Nepal and Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) Nepal to join the coalition in Lumbini.
NUP has four seats in the provincial assembly, while Janamat, LSP Nepal and JSP Nepal have three each
