Two other likely partners, Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and Nepal Communist Party-Marxist Leninist (NCP-ML), however, still did not join the government due to differences over the portfolio allocation.

The Home portfolio was the major bone of contention between NC and UML, the two leading parties in the Constituent Assembly elected in last November.

“With today’s Cabinet expansion and UML’s participation, the new coalition government will be a stable one. And with this stability, the parties can now concentrate on the all-important task of constitution making,” said Minendra Rijal, the Minister for Information and Communications. He was also appointed by the Cabinet as the government spokesperson.

The NC and the UML on Monday had agreed to allocate 10 ministries each, following PM Koirala’s assurance that the Home Ministry would go to the UML.

After Koirala, Gautam is the senior most member of the 21-member Cabinet.

On Tuesday, eight NC and 10 UML ministers were administrated the oath of office. State Minister for Labour and Employment Tek Bahadur Gurung took the oath at the National Planning Commission hall later.

Unlike the NC ministers, UML members are relatively new faces. Six UML ministers are not members of parliament. Gautam served as DPM and Home Minister twice, in 1997 in the Lokendra Bahadur Chand-led government and then in the Pushpa Kamal Dahal government in 2008.

Radha Gyawali had briefly (12 days) served as Energy Minister in the Baburam Bhattarai Cabinet.

From the NC, Chitra Lekha Yadav (Education), Narayan Khadka (Urban Development) and State Minister Tek Bahadur Gurung are all new faces in the Cabinet.

The RPP, which was on Monday allotted the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction Ministry, is bargaining for the Ministry of Commerce and Supply.

The CPN-ML is to lead the Ministry of Science and Technology, but PM Koirala and party Chairman CP Mainali have yet to take a final call on the pick, said an aide to Koirala.

The PM will induct more ministers from the two leading parties and from those who voted him during the PM election, said an NC leader.

Koirala added three Cabinet ministers and one state minister from the rival Sher Bahadur Deuba camp and six from his own camp. But a dispute within the Koirala faction remains

after several other hopefuls were excluded from the list of ministers at the meeting of NC office bearers at PM’s official residence on Tuesday morning.

List of ministers

1. Bam Dev Gautam: DPM and Home Affairs (UML)

2. Prakash Man Singh: DPM and Federal

Affairs and Local Development (NC)

3. Ram Sharan Mahat: Finance (NC)

4. Bimalendra Nidhi: Physical Planning and Transportation (NC)

5. Narahari Acharya:

Law, Justice and Parliamentary

Affairs (NC)

6. Mahesh Acharya :

Forest and Soil Conservation (NC)

7. Chitra Lekha Yadav : Education ( NC)

8. Minendra Rijal : Information and Communications (NC)

9. Radha Kumari Gyawali: Energy (UML)

10. Narayan Prakash Saud: Irrigation (NC)

11. Narayan Khadka: Urban Development (NC)

12. Bhim Acharya : Tourism and Civil

Aviation (UML)

13. Mahendra Pandey: Foreign Affairs (UML)

14. Khagaraj Adhikari : Health and Population (UML)

15. Lalbabu Pandit: General Administration (UML)

16. Dal Bahadur Rana: Land Reforms (UML)

17. Karna Bahadur Thapa: Industry (UML)

18. Hari Parajuli: Agriculture Development (UML)

19. Purushottom Poudel: Youth and Sports(UML)

20. Tek Bahadur Gurung: State Minister for

Labour (NC)    Source: PMO