The KP Sharma Oli-led government has lost its majority in Nepal’s National Assembly after the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP-N), led by Upendra Yadav, officially withdrew its support on Wednesday.
JSP-N currently holds 5 seats in the House of Representatives and 3 in the 59-member National Assembly. Until now, with the backing of JSP-N, the government had the support of 31 members—just enough for a majority. With their withdrawal, the government is now left with 28 supporting members: 16 from Nepali Congress, 10 from CPN-UML, 1 from Loktantrik Samajbadi Party, and 1 nominated member—short of the required 30 for majority.
The opposition now commands the majority with 30 seats, including 17 from the Maoist Centre, 8 from Unified Socialist, 3 from JSP-N, and 1 each from Janamorcha and nominated members. This shift makes it significantly harder for the government to pass any bills through the upper house.
Despite this, the government still holds a solid position in the House of Representatives, with around two-thirds majority. The ruling coalition—comprising Nepali Congress (88), UML (78), JSP (7), LSP (4), and NUP (4)—has 179 members excluding suspensions. According to Article 100(2) of Nepal’s Constitution, a vote of confidence is required only if a party in the government withdraws support. Since JSP-N was not officially part of the cabinet, PM Oli is not mandated to seek a vote of confidence.
Upendra Yadav stated that his party withdrew support after a “painful year of betrayal” in the ruling coalition. “None of the promises made during government formation were fulfilled,” he said. “No progress was made on development, good governance, or economic revival. Unemployment persists, agriculture remains outdated, and industries are stagnant. Even the constitutional amendment was never discussed.”
He added that the party would now support or oppose the government on a case-by-case basis depending on the merit of each issue. “If the government does something good, we’ll support it in the National Assembly. But we won’t stand by blindly,” Yadav said.
JSP-N MPs also expressed frustration at being sidelined in decision-making. “Our issues were ignored and even our participation in discussions was minimal,” said lawmaker Prakash Adhikari. “There’s no point supporting a government that doesn’t deliver.”
One of the most contentious issues was the Land Bill. JSP-N had previously opposed the Land Ordinance and now says the new bill contains the same provisions they rejected. “The draft bill is identical to the ordinance we opposed. How can we support that?” Adhikari said.
Conclusion:
The withdrawal of JSP-N’s support marks a significant political development, putting the Oli government in a legislative bind in the National Assembly. With mounting internal criticism and pressure from coalition partners, the coming days are likely to be politically turbulent.
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