Chief Minister of Nepal's Lumbini province Shankar Pokhrel resigns ahead of no-confidence motion

Kathmandu [Nepal] May 2 (ANI): Chief Minister of Nepal's Lumbini Province Shankar Pokhrel resigned on Sunday ahead of a vote of a no-confidence against him in the provincial assembly.
"He has submitted his resignation to the office of the Head of the State this morning," Baijanath Chaudhary, spokesperson of the Lumbini provincial government, told ANI.
A joint no-confidence motion was moved against Pokhrel, a key ally of the ruling the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML), and Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli.
According to the Kathmandu Post, the Nepali Congress, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), and the Janata Samajbadi Party have registered a no-confidence motion against Lumbini Chief Minister Shankar Pokhrel, a key ally of CPN-UML chair and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
"The parties have proposed Maoist Centre leader Kul Prasad KC as the new chief minister," reported Kathmandu Post on Sunday.
"We have registered a no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Shankar Pokhrel with signatures of 41 members of the assembly," Dama Kumari Sharma, a member of the Lumbini Provincial Assembly representing the Maoist Centre, told the Post over the phone. "We need 43 members to unseat Pokhrel. And we are confident of getting that number."
In the 87-member Lumbini Provincial Assembly, the UML had won 41 seats, Nepali Congress 19 seats, Maoist Centre 20 seats, Janata Samajbadi six seats, and Rashtriya Janamorcha one seat. Since two of the Maoist Centre members were suspended, the assembly is currently 85-member strong.
As many as 19 members from the Congress, 17 from the Maoist Centre, and five from Janata Samajbadi Party have signed the motion as reported by Kathmandu Post.
According to Kathmandu Post, if the Nepal-Khanal faction in the UML crosses the floor, it could be another setback for Oli, as four of the UML members in Karnali on Friday defied the party whip and voted for Mahendra Bahadur Shahi. (ANI)