KATHMANDU: Clearing the deck for Nepal Communist Party leader Bam Dev Gautam to become the party’s deputy chairperson, a meeting of the NCP central secretariat on Monday amended the party statute to create the deputy chairperson’s post. The amendment is subject to endorsement by the standing and central committees. The party has called a two-day standing committee meeting on Friday. The secretariat had earlier decided to appoint Gautam as the party’s deputy chair. However, the appointment process had been stalled because the standing committee had not convened for the past year.