Top leaders including Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Vice-chairmen Ashok Rai and Bamdev Gautam, General Secretary Ishwar Pokharel and standing committee member KP Sharma Oli had aired their views, said a leader present at the meeting. [break]
While Nepal and Oli said the UML must work to build a stronger alliance with Nepali Congress (NC) and other democratic parties, Gautam and Rai stressed that the party shouldn´t miss the opportunity to make the party chairman Jhalanath Khanal prime minister in the soon to be formed government.
Oli-Nepal faction has vehemently opposed the idea of forming a Maoist-backed government under Khanal´s leadership.
The meeting will continue on Tuesday. The UML leaders decided to continue the standing committee meeting deferring the CC meeting that was scheduled to start on Monday.
UML elects new leaders in Kathmandu
The fifth district convention of CPN-UML´s Kathmandu district chapter has elected the party´s leadership for the capital. The convention elected Nirmal Kuikel as the chairman, Krishna Rai as vice-chairman, Bidyasundar Shakya as secretary and Sarita Neupane as assistant secretary. The convention also elected other members in the 91-member body. Leaders claimed that majority of the leaders elected are close to the faction led by the party´s standing committee member KP Sharma Oli.
UML to form 49-member standing committee (with names)