The party plans to add 38 new members to the 137-member central committee to make id 175. Similarly, the party will increase the members in the politburo from 45 to around 55 and standing committee from 16 to 20 or 21. [break]
But over 100 names have been proposed for the 37 positions in the central committee. Disputes have also stalled the expansion of politburo and standing committees.
"The leaders have proposed the names of their near and dear ones. So some leaders have objected to the proposed names as the party should not sideline the honest and devoted cadres," said a senior Maoist leader.
The UCPN (Maoist) was supposed to agree on the names even before the party´s mega training for field commanders at Kharipati of Bhaktapur on February 17, but failed to take a decision.
After the training was over, the party leaders agreed on making the party´s top bodies inclusive by giving priority to dalits, women and backward sections of society. But again, the party failed to take a decision after for the same reason.
The Maoist party claims that it has been championing the rights of the ethnic, dalit and women population, but the party remains poor in terms of inclusion.
The party is dominated by high caste Brahmins, who make up 12.74 percent of the total population, but occupy 40 percent total seats in the central committee. Tharus comprise around seven percent of the total population, but Ram Charan Chaudhary is the only Tharu member in the party´s central body, while Dev Gurung is the only member from the Gurung community that has 2.39 percent of the population.
Likewise, Hakikulla Khan is the only member from the Muslim community that has 4.27 percent of the population.
In the 137 member committee, there are 55 Brahmins, 19 Chhetris, 15 Magars, 7 Thakuris, five Tamangs, eight Madhesis (including one dalit and one janajati), five hill dalits, three Rais, two Limbus, two Thakalis, one Tharu, one Gurung, one Darai, one Bhujel, and one Muslim.
The party is even poorer in terms of gender inclusion. There is no representation of women in the existing 16-member standing committee, while the 45-member politburo has only two women members. Women comprise more than fifty percent of the total population, but there are only 11 members in the 137 member central committee.
When asked about the inclusion in the party, a Maoist leader said that the party has given priority to class, rather than inclusion. "Of course, there should be inclusion in the government bodies," he said.
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