Kathmandu: Ruling coalition, including UML senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, have started the preliminary homework of sharing ministries in both the options. With or without the participation of the Nepal Group, the number of ministries will go up and down, so the coalition parties have started discussing both options.

At a meeting of the coalition’s top leaders in Baluwatar on Sunday evening, the two sides discussed the division of ministries and agreed to try to finalize it by Monday or Tuesday evening. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN (M) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, JSP Chairman Upendra Yadav and Rastriya Janamorcha Chairman Chitra Bahadur KC. Leaders of the Nepal group did not attend the meeting.

According to a top leader in the alliance, Prime Minister Deuba has urged the allies to expand the cabinet as soon as possible after holding discussions within his party. He is confident that the UML dispute will reach a point by then. On 19 August, the Chairman of the Maoist Center, Prachanda, called on Nepal to take a quick decision. In response, Nepal requested to wait for two – three days. After Prachanda said that waiting for many days would increase the criticism of the government, Nepal had requested to expand the cabinet immediately but also to keep the options open if there is no party unity in the future. That’s why the coalition has worked on both options.

Leaders of the coalition have been saying that the expansion of the Council of Ministers has been delayed due to the Nepal Group not giving a decision. “It is too late to wait for the Madhavjis. They will decide on Monday evening or Tuesday,” said Narayan Kaji Shrestha, a Maoist center leader. “Then the process of expanding the cabinet will move forward.”

Even 28 days after the formation of the new government, the Council of Ministers has six members. Deuba, who was sworn in as the prime minister on July 13, had appointed two ministers each from the Congress and the Maoists on the same day. He then made Umesh Shrestha Minister of State for Health on July 25. Yadav said that the discussion would now focus on the expansion of the Council of Ministers. ‘The discussion now begins with a focus on cabinet expansion’ he said.