BUTWAL: The Nepali Congress has pulled out of the Lumbini Provincial Government.

Withdrawing their support from the government, five ministers belonging to the party have submitted their collective resignations to the Chief Minister.

Dhanlaxmi Shrestha, Chief Whip of the Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party, handed over the collective resignations along with a formal letter withdrawing support for the government to Chief Minister Chet Narayan Acharya.

The ministers who submitted their resignations are 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 Janmajay Timilsina, and Minister for Forest and Environment Dev Karan Prasad Kalwar.

Following the shift in political equations at the central level, the ministers representing the Nepali Congress in the Lumbini Provincial Government resigned and exited the administration.

With the exit of the Nepali Congress, preparations are now underway to form a joint government between the CPN (UML) and the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) in Lumbini Province.

Discussions are expected between the leadership of UML and NCP regarding the appointment of new ministers and the allocation of portfolios.