POKHARA: Political uncertainty looms over Gandaki Province as both the CPN (UML)–Nepali Communist Party alliance and the Nepali Congress scramble to secure the 30-seat majority needed in the 59-member assembly, placing fringe parties back in the decisive “kingmaker” role.

With the UML-NCP coalition holding 28 seats and Nepali Congress holding 27, the balance of power hinges entirely on the support of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), which commands two seats, and the Nepal Samajbadi Party (Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party).

Following a Supreme Court ruling that barred the Speaker’s vote from being counted toward government formation during the previous Khagraj Adhikari administration, the regional arithmetic has grown increasingly delicate.

As Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey engages in top-level consultations in Kathmandu to save his government, leaders from RPP and PLP have indicated they will wait for central party guidance before committing, continuing a seven-year political trend in Gandaki where small parties and independent figures hold the key to power.