Kathmandu, March 16

Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba today nominated seven leaders of the party as Central Working Committee members.

Those nominated to NC CWC are Ramchandra Paudel, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Chitra Lekha Yadav, Arjun Narsingh KC, Umakanta Chaudhari, Narahari Acharya and Gagan Thapa.

While Paudel, Sitaula and Thapa lost the polls representing two rival panels, Yadav and KC lost the polls from Deuba’s panel. Acharya, on the other hand, did not contest, as he fell ill one month ago and is still undergoing treatment.

The party sources said Deuba’s next step would be to hold the election for NC’s parliamentary party leadership. He is most likely to do so within one-two weeks before nominating vice-president, general secretary and joint general secretary and giving full shape to the 85-member CWC.

Earlier this morning, outgoing general secretary of the party Prakash Man Singh urged Deuba not to nominate those who lost the polls, as that would promote factionalism in the party and set a wrong precedent of creating factions before conventions and getting nominated after losing polls.

Meanwhile, new team of Nepali Congress CWC under the leadership of Sher Bahadur Deuba began its four-year term today.

After the party’s election committee handed over certificates to the new members, Deuba assumed party president’s office.

Addressing the function, Deuba remembered the party’s late leaders BP Koirala, Ganesh Man Singh, Girija Prasad Koirala and Sushil Koirala who led the movements of 1950, 1990, 2006 and constitution-making process of 2015, respectively, and said, “I have high respect for them and will follow their path during my term.”

He said he would shoulder the responsibility of settling the national agendas, including row of delineation of federal boundaries and implementing the new constitution.

“There are problems, but I will settle them with the help of friends,” Deuba said.

Stating that advancement of democracy in the country was not possible unless NC improves itself, Deuba said he would do the needful during his term.

Paudel said he would extend full support to Deuba to safeguard NC’s culture, tradition and its history and in implementation of the new constitution.

General Secretary Shashanka Koirala said, “I have been treating NC as my family since my childhood. Some come to the front and others are left behind during elections. Moving ahead by taking all family members together is the challenge.”

Treasurer Sita Devi Yadav urged the party leaders to resolve the Madhes problem at the earliest by holding talks with other concerned parties.