KATHMANDU, March 16: CPN (Maoist Center) has decided to field incumbent Nanda Bahadur Pun as a candidate for a second term as vice president.

A meeting of party senior leaders on Thursday decided to repeat Pun for a second term in the post, said Maoist leader Devendra Paudel. 

Left alliance candidate Pun is almost certain to be re-elected to the post, given the majority the alliance has in the Electoral College. 

Members of parliament and the provincial assemblies will vote for the vice president on March 23 in Kathmandu. The Election Commission has slated Friday for fielding candidacies for the post. After the CPN-UML decided to repeat Bidya Bhandari in the post of president, Pun became most likely to be repeated in his post also. 

Meanwhile, the prime minister is likely to expand his cabinet for a second time on Friday, inducting ministers from the UML, Maoist Center and Federal Socialist Forum Nepal, said Paudel. 

According to him, the Maoist meeting failed to pick the ministers after the party chairman informed that allocation of ministries for the party was yet to be finalized with the UML. “There will be a meeting with the FSFN on Friday prior to administering the oath to the new ministers,” said Paudel. 

Four ministers from the Maoists and two from FSFN are likely to be appointed to the cabinet on Friday, he said.

 
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