KATHMANDU, March 12: Chairman of the CPN-UML, KP Sharma Oli has nominated 23 new members to the party’s Central Committee (CC). A meeting of the party’s CC members close to Oli made a decision to nominate 23 former Maoist leaders who chose to join the UML as CC members.

Those nominated as CC members are the leaders belonging to the erstwhile CPN (Maoist Center). They had chosen to be a part of the Oli-led faction of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) during the height of intraparty dispute within the NCP following the decision of Prime Minister Oli to dissolve parliament and announce midterm elections in the country.

But with the Supreme Court's verdict that invalidated the unity between the erstwhile UML and the Maoists, several leaders belonging to the erstwhile Maoist Center have chosen to be part of the Oli-led UML. They include Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, Energy Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, Urban Development Minister Prabhu Sah, Minister for Industry Lekha Raj Bhatta and Minister for Drinking Water Supply Mani Thapa.

With this nomination, the UML will now have a 264-member Central Committee. The CC meeting has also nominated Pradeep Gyawali as the spokesperson for the UML.

Sources said none of the CC members close to Madhav Nepal were invited to the meeting held at the prime minister’s official residence in Baluwatar on Friday. Party insiders claimed that the decision of Oli, who is also the prime minister, to nominate 23 CC members in an unilateral manner is aimed at ensuring a majority in the party’s Central Committee.

This comes days before Chairman Oli’s plan to summon the first CC meeting of the party after the Supreme Court’s verdict earlier last week invalidated the unification between the erstwhile UML and the Maoist Center.

The Nepal-led faction of the UML that had earlier joined the Dahal-led faction of the NCP during the intraparty dispute returned to the UML following the apex court’s verdict. The Nepal-led faction decided to remain with the mother party after the apex court’s verdict.

List of former Maoist leader nominated as UML CC members

1.    Ram Bahadur Thapa
2.    Top Bahadur Rayamajhi
3.    Lekharaj Bhatta
4.    Mani Thapa
5.    Prabhu Sah
6.    Tanka Aangbuhang
7.    Pasang Sherpa
8.    Jwala Shah
9.    Tek Bahadur Balampakhi
10.    Kamal Chaulagain
11.    Manoj Thapa
12.    Bisham Lal Adhikari
13.    Lila Bahadur Thapa
14.    Dadhiram Neupane
15.    Giridhari Lal
16.    Jhapat Bohora
17.    Dawa Lama
18.    Chandra Bahadur Khadka
19.    Dambar Bista
20.     Gauri Shankar Chaudhary
21.    Nabin Rokka
22.    Dharma Raj Regmi
23.    Dinesh Panthi
 

 
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