KATHMANDU: Sudurpaschim Province Chief Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah has secured a vote of confidence.

He sought the vote after the Nagarik Unmukti Party withdrew its support.

Ironically, Shah received the decisive vote from Kailash Chaudhary, a lawmaker of the same Nagarik Unmukti Party that triggered the process by pulling support.

Out of the party’s 7 provincial lawmakers, only Chaudhary was present during the vote, and he voted in favor of Shah. The remaining six were absent.

Shah also received backing from 18 Nepali Congress members and 11 CPN-UML members.

While the final vote tally is yet to be officially announced, both Congress and UML had issued a whip in advance, directing their lawmakers to support Shah.

The 53-member Sudurpaschim Provincial Assembly (excluding one suspended member) requires 27 votes for a vote of confidence to pass.

With support from 18 Nepali Congress and 11 UML lawmakers, Shah has secured 29 votes—enough to retain his position.