The Nepal Communist Party (NCP) on Monday named a 45-member Standing Committee (SC), comprising 26 from the erstwhile CPN-UML and the remaining from erstwhile Maoist Centre.

NCP Central Committee member Bishnu Rijal told the Post, “The NCP issued an internal memo informing its decision on the SC.”

The SC meeting will convene soon.

The erstwhile UML retained 22 SC members and inducted four new members - Bishnu Rimal, Raghuji Panta, Beduram Bhusal and Raghubir Mahaseth. Mahaseth is current Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport while Rimal is the chief advisor to Prime Minister and NCP Co-Chairman KP Sharma Oli.

UML dropped Amrit Kumar Bohora, Keshav Badal, Pushpa Kadel and Somnath Pyasi because their status as invited members in the party makes them ineligible for any position including the SC.

The erstwhile Maoist Centre has given the status of invited members to two leaders Amik Serchan and Peshal Khatiwada.

It has selected leaders Dev Gurung, Top Bahadur Raymajhi, Giri Raj Mani Pokhrel, Hari Bol Gajurel, Agni Shapkota, Barsha Man Pun, Shakti Basnet, Janardan Sharma, Pampha Bhusal, Matrika Yadav, Lekh Raj Bhatta, Chakrapani Khanal and Lila Mani Pokhrel as SC members.

NCP Co-Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, authorised to select SC members to fulfill the quota of erstwhile Maoist Centre has inducted leaders like Devendra Poudel, Ganesh Shah and Madi Thapa, who had joined the then Maoist Centre at different times as SC members.

The NCP Central Secretariat members and spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha and member Ram Bahadur Thapa automatically qualified to the SC.

Even though leaders like Bohra and Serchan had reservations over the decision of making their status in the party as invited members, no revision has been made as of yet.

“I have state my concerns and I am still hopeful that the top leaders would review the decision,” Bohra told the Post.