POKHARA: Gandaki Chief Minister Khagraj Adhikari has been relieved of his post after failing to garner the mandatory support in the vote of confidence motion tabled in the Gandaki Province Assembly on Saturday.

The majority of lawmakers rejected his request for a vote of confidence.

24 lawmakers including 22 lawmakers from CPN-UML and 2 from Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) supported the motion of confidence proposed by Chief Minister Adhikari.

35 lawmakers, including 27 from the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) and 8 from the CPN-Maoist Center, did not give a vote of confidence to Chief Minister Adhikari.

UML Gandaki parliamentary party leader Adhikari was appointed Chief Minister on January 9 with the support of the Maoist Center, and Rastriya Janamorcha lawmakers.

After the Chief Minister was appointed, Adhikari appointed three ministers from the UML, two from the Maoist Center, and one from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP).

After the UML left the federal government, the Maoist Center quit the Gandaki government on March 10.

With the dismissal of Adhikari from the post of the Chief Minister, it is now confirmed that Surendra Pandey, the leader of the parliamentary party of Nepali Congress Gandaki Province Assembly, will become the chief minister.

Pandey is likely to get the support of the Maoist Center, CPN-Unified Socialist Party, and independent lawmaker Deepak Manange.