By Birat Anupam, Itahari, Sept. 1: With formal defection of 10 Provincial Assembly (PA) members to the newly formed CPN (Unified Socialist), CPN (UML)'s Chief Minister (CM) Bhim Acharya's cabinet has lost its majority on Wednesday afternoon.

On 26 August, Acharya was chosen as the Parliamentary Party Leader of CPN (UML) with commands of 51 lawmakers in the 93-member PA and was sworn in as the second CM of the province on the same day.

On 27 August, Acharya has appointed Laxman Tiwari, a directly elected PA member from Tehrathum and Balbahadur Samsohang , a directly elected PA member from Taplejung, as the ministers for Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment and Social Development respectively.

Just after six days, 10 PA members of erstwhile CPN (UML) have defected to CPN (Unified Socialist). They include Sabitri Regmi, Khinu Langwa Limbu, Ganesh Kangwang, Krishna Kumari Rai, Upendra Ghimire, Sunita Chaudhary, Sarita Thapa, Padam Kumari Gurung, Rajan Rai and Rajendra Rai. With this defection, the 51 PA members of CPN (UML) has been reduced to 41.

To retain the majority requires 47 members, for which CM Acharya is short of six members.

Together with 10-seat CPN (United Socialist), the alliance of Nepali Congress which commands 21 seats, CPN (Maoist) Center which has 15 seats and People's Socialist Party which has 3 seats are gearing up to form their own government. Rajendra Rai is pitched as the new CM of the alliance.

Rai is a directly elected PA member from Bhojpur and he is a diehard supporter of Madhab Nepal faction of erstwhile CPN (UML) who got the registration of his new party CPN (United Socialist) on 25 August from the election commission after Deuba government brought new ordinance provisioning just 20 percent of the parliamentary seats for the formal split of the party.