The party leadership had deferred the CC meeting, which was scheduled for Sunday, until further notice, and it had called the party´s standing committee (SC) meeting instead. The SC meeting is under way since Monday.[break]
"We have demanded that the party leadership convene the CC meeting on Wednesday morning," a CC member told Republica. He claimed that majority CC members are in favor of holding the meeting on Wednesday.
In the meantime, a group of leaders close to Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and KP Sharma Oli gathered at the prime minister´s official residence at Baluwatar Tuesday morning to discuss the party´s stance and strategy regarding new government.
The UML at a recent central committee and parliamentary party meeting had decided to vote against Nepali Congress (NC) candidate Ram Chandra Paudel on Wednesday if the he didn´t withdraw his candidacy by that time.
Meanwhile, UML Chief Whip Bhim Acharya on Tuesday issued whip to UML lawmakers to vote against Paudel.
The UML leaders who are demanding CC meeting on Wednesday have argued that forming a Maoist-backed government under UML leadership will be ´suicidal´ for the UML. The Nepal-Oli faction in the party is strongly lobbying in favor of keeping intact the present democratic alliance with the NC. But the faction led by Khanal is trying hard to garner support to form Khanal-led government.
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