SURKHET: In a major political shakeup, all four Nepali Congress ministers in the Karnali provincial government resigned collectively on Wednesday morning, submitting their resignations directly to Chief Minister Yam Lal Kandel.

The joint resignation was triggered by rapidly evolving political circumstances and internal party discussions. Signaling their imminent departure, the ministers boycotted a scheduled cabinet meeting earlier that morning, with some ministers visiting the Chief Minister’s office solely to hand in their resignation letters before departing.

The departing cabinet members include Economic Affairs and Planning Minister Rajiv Bikram Shah, Social Development Minister Ghanashyam Bhandari, Water Resources and Energy Development Minister Bijaya Budha, and Industry, Tourism, Forest, and Environment Minister Suresh Adhikari.

Even those unable to attend the morning meeting, including Minister Shah who is currently abroad, joined the collective decision to step down.

This move puts the ruling coalition between the CPN (UML) and the Nepali Congress under intense pressure.

While the UML currently holds the Chief Minister’s post alongside two ministers and one state minister, the two parties had previously agreed to run the provincial government on a rotational basis. These resignations mark a critical turning point in how that power-sharing deal will play out next.