As the Nepal Communist Party is heading towards a split, KP Sharma Oli, the party chair and prime minister, is in a bid to achieve a majority in the Central Committee and announced a 1,199-member general convention organising committee.

At a meeting of the Central Committee with the members close to him in Baluwatar, Oli has proposed forming a 1,199-member Central Committee, which will work as a general convention organising committee, a Central Committee member told the Post from the ongoing meeting.

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At present, the ruling party has 435 members in the 446-member Central Committee. Oli has announced to add 556-members in the existing Central Committee with a view to adding 197 members later so as to form a 1,199-member General Convention Organising Committee, according to the member.

The meeting also removed Naryan Kaji Shrestha as the party spokesperson.

“The meeting has decided to remove Shrestha as the spokesperson and appointed Pradeep Gyawali in his place,” said Binod Shrestha, a Central Committee member.

Gyawali, a Standing Committee member, is foreign minister in the Oli Cabinet.

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Shrestha also said the meeting has made a second amendment to the party’s statute, including all the changes made by the Tuesday’s meeting and the new changes were endorsed immediately.

Some new Central Committee members took the oath during the meeting on Tuesday.

In the meeting, Oli also proposed holding the party’s general convention on November 18-23 in Kathmandu next year.

Since elections have been declared for April 30 and May 10, it is not possible to hold the general convention before November next year, according to a party member.