Key Takeaways:

• Six UML ministers resigned and withdrew support from Bagmati government
• Congress ministers Binu Rayamajhi, Suresh Shrestha and Urmila Nepal given new portfolios
• Revised division of responsibilities forwarded to Province Chief for approval

HETAUDA, JULY 23 Chief Minister Indra Bahadur Baniya has reassigned ministerial portfolios to Nepali Congress ministers following the resignation of six CPN-UML ministers and the party's withdrawal from the Bagmati Province government. Three previously portfolio-less Congress ministers have been entrusted with key ministries left vacant after the UML's exit. Binu Rayamajhi has been appointed Minister for Physical Infrastructure Development, Suresh Shrestha has taken charge of the Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Labour and Transport, while Urmila Nepal has been assigned the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forests and Environment. Prior to the reshuffle, the Bagmati Cabinet had only three Congress ministers with designated portfolios: Kanchan Chandra Bade as Minister for Health and Social Development, Shivaraj Adhikari as Minister for Internal Affairs, Law and Cooperatives, and Prabhat Tamang as Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning. The Chief Minister has forwarded the revised division of responsibilities to the Province Chief for approval. The changes come a day after six UML ministers formally resigned and withdrew support from the coalition government. The outgoing ministers included Madhusudan Poudel (Agriculture, Livestock, Forests and Environment), Bindu Shrestha (Industry, Tourism, Labour and Transport), and Dr Dinesh Chandra Devkota (Physical Infrastructure Development). Ministers without portfolio Kiran Thapa Magar, Jayaram Shrestha and Bharat Bahadur KC also stepped down.