The Secretariat meeting of the ruling Nepal Communist Party scheduled for 11am on Thursday has been postponed until 3pm after the top leadership failed to reach consensus on who to pick as a member of the National Assembly.

Surya Thapa, press advisor to party chair and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, said that the meeting has been postponed until 3pm.

If Oli has to continue Yubaraj Khatiwada as the finance minister, Khatiwada must be appointed the National Assembly member by Friday, but party vice-chair Bamdev Gautam is also vying for the Upper House seat.

Khatiwada was reappointed finance minister on March 4 after his two-year tenure as the National Assembly member expired. As per constitutional provisions, a non-elected person can be appointed a minister but he or she needs to take the oath as a member either of the House of Representatives or the National Assembly within six months of the appointment. Khatiwada will complete his six months as a minister without a membership in any of the two Houses of Parliament on Friday.

Oli and the other chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Wednesday had held a meeting to discuss who–Khatiwada or Gautam–to make the National Assembly member. But the leaders could not reach an agreement.

According to insiders, Oli later on Wednesday had urged Gautam not to aspire for the National Assembly and rather prepare to contest an election from any constituency for the House of Representatives.

If Gautam is to contest for a House of Representatives seat, the ruling party needs to ask one of its lawmakers to resign.

But Gautam is not keen to contest the election, a leader close to him said.

There’s only one seat vacant in the National Assembly.

Earlier, the Secretariat meeting scheduled for August 29 was postponed after two of its members had to go into home isolation as one of the staffers of the Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre tested positive.

“The Secretariat meeting has been postponed until 3pm as the leaders need to do some homework,” said Bishnu Sapkota, press advisor to Dahal. “The issue of Gautam will be finalised by the meeting itself.”