Nepal's Madhesh Province CM resigns amidst Supreme Court deadline

Janakpur [Nepal], December 3 : Saroj Kumar Yadav, on Wednesday, resigned as Chief Minister of Nepal's Madhesh Province after facing no prospect of securing a vote of confidence.
The Supreme Court had ordered Yadav to seek a vote of confidence within 24 hours, but he stepped down during the provincial assembly meeting, citing lack of support.
Yadav stepped down from the post during the provincial assembly meeting, saying he saw no prospect of securing the required support. Yadav, elected to the provincial assembly from CPN-UML (Communist Party of Nepal - Unified Marxist Leninist) led by former PM KP Sharma Oli, served 22 days as chief minister.
The Supreme Court on Monday ordered Yadav to seek a vote of confidence within 24 hours, or else instructed the provincial head to begin the process of forming a new government under Article 168(2) of the constitution. The chief minister received a written order from the court on Tuesday.
The apex court in its ruling on the dispute over the formation of the Madhesh government, stated that Yadav must either obtain the assembly's confidence or pave the way for a new government to be constituted as per Article 168 (2).
"If the chief minister secures the confidence of the provincial assembly, the government shall continue accordingly. If not, procedures under Article 168 (2) for government formation or appointment of a chief minister must be initiated without delay," the verdict states.
The bench stated that Yadav had been appointed under Article 168 (3) without adequate effort to explore options available under Article 168 (2), even though 73 assembly members, a clear majority, had formally demanded that the constitutional process under clause (2) be followed.
The apex court said it was necessary and appropriate to move swiftly to resolve the issue of government formation, instructing the authorities concerned to either confirm Yadav's position or begin the process of appointing a new chief minister under the constitution.
During Yadav's address on Wednesday, the opposition provincial lawmakers walked out of the assembly hall.
"They (opposition parties) have walked out. All the voters will be observing it closely and doing their duty in the upcoming election; I am fully confident about it. As you (the opposition parties) are not here, I don't find it relevant to seek a vote of confidence. I would resign from the post of the Chief Minister with immediate effect. Following it, I will go to the Province head and submit the resignation letter," Yadav said.
Political drama has continued to unfold in the Madhesh Province of the Himalayan nation since November 10, when the provincial head, Sumitra Subedi Bhandari, appointed CPN-UML provincial assembly leader Yadav as chief minister under Article 168(3) of the constitution.
Article 168 (3) stipulates that, in cases where the chief minister cannot be appointed under clause (2), the province head shall appoint the parliamentary party leader of the party with the highest number of members in the assembly as the chief minister.
His early-morning appointment at a hotel in Bardibas sparked controversy, prompting the federal government to remove Bhandari and recommend Surendra Labh Karna as the new province head. The seven-party opposition alliance held a series of sit-ins and also filed a writ petition challenging the appointment.
As Yadav prepared to table the trust motion, lawmakers from seven opposition parties boycotted the meeting. Only CPN-UML lawmakers were present. Two ministers, Kanchan Bichchha of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Bimala Ansari of the Nepal Socialist, were also absent.