In the meeting on Thursday morning, Chairman Dahal put forward the name-list of five candidates to immediately join the government, but he shelved the plan after the leaders close to Baidya and Bhattarai opposed the proposal.
"Later we agreed to finalize the list of all 11 leaders, to head the ministerial berths allocated to the party, in a next meeting all at once," said a standing committee member requesting anonymity.[break]
According to sources, Dahal proposed the names of Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Dev Gurung, Barshaman Pun, Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, Girirajmani Pokharel and Jayapuri Gharti Magar for ministers.
Leaders close to Baidya faction objected to the nomination of Pun for minister without portfolio and later as the home minister saying Gurung should be nominated for the post by virtue of his being senior to Pun in the party hierarchy. Opposing the nomination of Pun, Baidya proposed the name of Gurung for home minister.
"Gurung is not only a Janajati, but also senior to Pun. So there is no point in agreeing on the name of Pun for such a crucial ministry as home," said a standing committee member close to Baidya, adding that Pun is likely to get the ministry of peace and reconstruction. And Mahara, who will be a deputy prime minister, is likely to head the ministry of information and communications.
Similarly, Amik Serchan and Lilamani Pokharel vehemently opposed the nomination of Girirajmani Pokharel, who was the minister for health in the Dahal-led government, for new minister.
"Why should we send only old faces to the cabinet," a leader quoted Serchan as saying during the meeting. Poharel is close to Vice-chairman Narayankaji Shrestha.
The meeting, which was postponed to 4 pm, had to be put off again as Dahal, who flew to Gulmi after the meeting, returned to Kathmandu late in the evening. The standing committee is scheduled to finalize the name-list during a meeting on Friday morning.
Dahal has planned to pick four leaders from his camp, three from Baidya´s, two from Bhattarai´s and one from among those who joined the party from the Unity Center.
According to sources, Dev Gurung, Khadga Bahadur Bishwakarma, Mahendra Pashwan, and Jayapuri Gharti Magar have been proposed from the Baidya camp. Barshaman Pun, Agni Sapkota, RC Chaudhary, Sarat Singh Bhandari and Shakti Basnet from Dahal camp, while Top Bahadur Rayamaji, Dinanath Sharma and Prabhu Sah are the candidates from Bhattarai camp. Similarly, either Hisila Yami or Dilip Prajapati or Pawanman Shrestha have been proposed for minister from the Newar community.
Which party gets what
According to leaders, Maoists are getting the Ministry of Information and Communications, Ministry of Law, Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction, Ministry of Land Reforms, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Health and Population, Ministry of Physical Planning and Works, Ministry of Labor and Transport Management, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare and Ministry of Industry.
Similarly, UML is getting Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of General Administration, Ministry of Forest and Social Conservation, Ministry of Local Development, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Commerce and Supplies, and Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives have been earmarked for the Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (MPRF). According to sources, the government has planned to merge the Ministry of Irrigation and the Ministry of Energy. Ministry of Culture and Federal Affairs and the Ministry of Environment would be left to the fringe political parties.
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