BIRATNAGAR: The Nepali Congress has decided to withdraw from the Koshi Province government after the CPN-UML resolved, for the time being, its internal dispute over the province’s chief minister.

The ruling coalition partner had delayed its decision while the UML remained divided over who should lead the provincial government. Following separate and joint meetings between UML Chair and Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, Chief Minister Hikmat Karki, UML Koshi Province Chair Ghanshyam Khatiwada, and Provincial Secretary Raj Kumar Bhandari, the party agreed to allow Karki to continue as chief minister for now.

With the dispute temporarily settled, the Nepali Congress announced that it would leave the provincial government.

Nepali Congress Koshi Province Parliamentary Party leader and Provincial President Uddhav Thapa said the party’s ministers would resign within the next one or two days.

The Koshi Province government is currently a coalition of the CPN-UML and the Nepali Congress. The Congress has five ministers in the cabinet, including one state minister, all of whom are expected to step down shortly.

The move follows a three-point power-sharing agreement reached at the federal level between the CPN-UML and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), under which the UML would continue to lead the Koshi Province government.

Although the agreement confirmed UML’s leadership in the province, the party remained divided over whether Chief Minister Hikmat Karki should be replaced. The dispute intensified after an initiative, reportedly backed by party chair Oli, sought to appoint Til Kumar Menyangbo as the new chief minister. Karki, however, refused to relinquish the post, delaying the restructuring of the provincial government despite the earlier agreement.

The temporary resolution of the leadership dispute has now paved the way for the Nepali Congress to formally withdraw from the coalition government.