(Bloomberg) -- New Zealand’s governing Labour Party may face a by-election in coming months after rebel member of parliament Gaurav Sharma announced he is resigning.

Sharma was expelled from the Labour caucus in August for repeated breaches of the rules, but remained an MP representing the Hamilton West electorate. Labour planned to remove him from parliament within six months of next year’s general election so as to avoid a by-election, Sharma said in a Facebook post Tuesday in Wellington.

“As such I have decided to resign from parliament pre-empting Labour’s next step,” Sharma said. “This will trigger a by-election, giving the people of Hamilton an opportunity to not lose their democratic rights of having a voice in parliament by underhanded tactics of the government and the Labour Party.”

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Labour holds a comfortable majority in parliament, after winning 65 of 120 seats in the 2020 general election. Still, a by-election will be a test of its support ahead of the next general election, which is expected to be held in late 2023. 

Labour had 34% support in a 1News/Kantar poll last month, trailing the main opposition National Party on 37%.

Sharma won the Hamilton West electorate in 2020 with a 6,267 vote majority, but National won the seat in the previous four elections. Sharma said he will launch a new centrist party and intends to stand in the by-election.

In a statement, Ardern said Sharma may wish to reconsider his decision given the cost of a by-election. She disputed that Labour planned to expel him.

“We consider it unnecessary and wasteful given the general election is scheduled for 2023,” she said.

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