KATHMANDU: The CPN-Maoist Center has withdrawn its support given to the government in Province 1.

The decision comes a day before the budget session of Provincial Assembly (PA). Province 1 PA’s budget session is starting at 2 pm Monday.

Maoist Center Province 1 parliamentary party (PP) leader Indra Bahadur Angbo said the party withdrew support on Sunday. “We have informed the PA secretariat that the support has been withdrawn.”

Even as the Maoist Center withdraws its support, the government in Province 1 will remain intact as the UML has a clear majority in the province.

In the 92-member PA, the UML has 51 members, the Nepali Congress 21, the Maoist Center 15 and the Janata Samajbadi Party 3, while the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and the United Democratic National Forum have one each. There were 93 PA members before the Maoist Center dismissed one PA member.

Parties other than the UML are not in a position to reach a majority in Province 1.

A majority requires 47 votes and the opposition parties have only 41 votes.