Parties intensify meetings to pick up new ministers

Kantipur Report

KATHMANDU, Aug 22 - Internal parleys in the partners of the three-party alliance--the CPN-Maoist, the and the —are underway since Friday morning to finalise the names from respective parties for the new cabinet.The Maoists have decided to send four names at the beginning for the formation of ...

Gautam will head the Home Ministry that the has got as its share.

Meanwhile, the standing committee meeting is underway at party headquarters in Balkhu to choose the remaining names.

Likewise, from the Maoist side, Dr Baburam Bhattarai and Ram Bahadur Thapa will head the Finance and Defense ministries, Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Dev Gurung will look after the Information and Communication Ministry and the Law Ministry respectively.

According to Maoist leader Mohan Vaidya, the remaining names for the five ministries in the Maoist share will be selected later prior to the next expansion of the cabinet.

According to sources, though the has sent Gautam to lead the in the government, differences have arisen regarding other names and no decision has been made so far.

The political committee meeting is also underway at party’s central office in Shankhamul to choose the party’s members for the cabinet.

chairman Upendra Yadav will lead the party as Foreign minister in the government. However, within the party, there are controversies regarding selection of names for other ministries.

It has been learnt that the senior leaders of the three parties will meet to ratify the names after the parties come up with final decision. Then the names will be proposed to the prime minister and the cabinet will be formed.

According to the sources, it Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal will swear in the new ministers in presence of President Rambaran Yadav amid a ceremony at the president’s office in the Shital Niwas at 4pm.

According to the agreement, the Maoists have nine ministerial portfolios including Defense, Finance and Peace and Reconstruction in their share where as the has six ministries including Home, Local Development and Water Resources, and the four, including