The three factions -- led by Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya and Vice-chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai -- put forward the lists during a meeting of the five-member taskforce formed to settle the issue of dividing responsibilities among the party leaders. [break]
The taskforce, headed by party General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa, includes Barshaman Pun, Netra Bikram Chand, Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and Giriraj Mani Pokharel.
According to sources, Pun, who is the representative of Dahal faction, proposed Haribol Gajurel, Agni Sapkota and Lokendra Bist as the new Standing Committee members. Similarly, Rayamajhi, who is from Bhattarai faction, proposed Ram Karki, Devendra Paudel and Nawaraj Subedi, while Netra Bikram Chand, from the Baidya faction, proposed Hitman Shakya, Hari Bhakta Kandel and Pampha Bhusal.
“The Standing Committee meeting on Sunday will deliberate on the names and may co-opt the new members in the party apex body,” said a senior Maoist leader.
Dahal faction is the strongest in the standing committee and has argued that the disputes over party responsibilities should be settled by the committee. But Bhattarai and Baidya factions have insisted that the party politburo should take up the task. “Politburo is the political committee. So it should settle the division of work,” said a leader close to Bhattarai. Dahal faction is weak in the party politburo.
Similarly, Bhattarai faction has staked claim to the leadership in the party front that includes leadership in parliament, while Baidya faction has vociferously demanded their “rightful share” in the People´s Liberation Army (PLA).
Sources said the relations between party office secretary Shakti Basnet and PLA Deputy Commander Janardan Sharma, close aides to Dahal, have soured after their names were not proposed from that faction.
Similarly, Bhattarai faction has accused Dahal of breaching the party´s agreement with the CPN (United) that Subedi would be inducted into the standing committee.
Similarly, Shashi Sherchan is likely to be inducted into the standing committee as all the three factions are positive about him.
The party is also expanding the current 48-member politburo and 148-member Central Committee (CC). As per the party statute, one third of the CC would be the politburo, and one third of politburo would be standing committee. The three party factions have floated their own lists for politburo and CC.
The party has so far been unable to settle the overdue task of reshuffling responsibilities due to sharp divisions between the three party factions.
The standing committee meeting will also take decisions on issues including government formation.
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