Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ is doing final homework for cabinet expansion.
Baluwatar sources have said that the Prime Minister Prachanda is holding talks with the parties of the 10-party alliance step by step to reach an agreement on the allocation of ministerial portfolios.
In the first phase, the Prime Minister is holding talks with the Nepali Congress (NC) for the expansion of the Council of Ministers.
Although there is an agreement that the Congress will get eight ministries, there is still no agreement on finance and home ministries.
The Prime Minister has planned to reach an agreement in a meeting with leaders including Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and Vice President Purna Bahadur Khadka today afternoon, PM secretariat said.
After that, Prime Minister Prachanda will hold talks with CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal on this issue. The Unified Socialist is also laying a claim on the Home Ministry while the Maoist Center wants to keep it by itself.
Prachanda intends to assign Maoist Center Vice-Chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha with the Home Ministry by giving Physical Infrastructure to the Unified Socialist.
According to the leaders, two development ministries are sure to be given to the Unified Socialist. However, it has claimed at least three ministries.
On the other hand, Prachanda is ready to move forward by including Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) in the government. JSP will get two ministries.
Prachanda is preparing to include at least nine parties in the government.
"The prime minister should keep ministries like finance and home affairs," Haribol Gajurel, political advisor to the prime minister, said.
He wants to involve other fringe parties in the government by giving them at least one ministry.
Gajurel said that a formal decision regarding this will be taken by holding a meeting of the coalition parties.
The Congress has agreed in principle to join the government under the leadership of Vice President Purna Bahadur Khadka. He also said the NC will lay a claim on the eight ministries left by CPN (UML).
