The CPN (Maoist Centre) has picked Narayan Kaji Shrestha as Deputy Prime Minister in the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government.

An office-bearer’s meeting of the party held on Monday morning finalised Shrestha’s name, said Ganesh Shah, the party’s secretary.

As the party is yet to reach a concrete deal on power-sharing with the UML, it is unclear to which ministry Shrestha will be assigned.

Shrestha, a National Assembly member, has served as Foreign Minister and Home Minister.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Sunday evening appointed CPN (Maoist Centre) Dahal as the prime minister of Nepal as per Article 76 (2) of the constitution.

This is Dahal’s third stint as the country’s chief executive.

Dahal has the support of 169 members, including 78 from the CPN-UML, 32 from his own Maoist Centre party and 20 from the Rastriya Swatantra Party, apart from 14 of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, 12 from the Janata Samajbadi Party, six from Janamat Party, and four from Nagarik Unmukti Party. He also secured the backing of independent lawmakers Prabhu Sah, Kiran Kumar Sah and Amresh Kumar Singh.

Breaking the coalition led by the largest party Nepali Congress, Dahal joined hands with the second largest party UML after Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba refused to allow him to lead the government for the first half of the five-year term.