Kathmandu, February 13:

The central committee meeting of the CPN-UML today announced the final list of 1,802 delegates to party’s eighth general convention to be held in Butwal on February 16-21. The party has already prepared political document and proposal of party statute to be discussed at the convention.

Party standing committee member Keshav Badal told this daily that a total of 1,802 delegates will be participating in the convention being held six years after the seventh convention held in Janakpur. He said that 1,716 delegates were elected by the active party cadres while five per cent of them, which comes to be 86, nominated by the central committee.

Badal said one general convention delegate was elected from among 200 active cadres, one woman delegate from among 100 women cadres, one Dalit delegate from among 75 Dalit cadres and one remote region delegate from among 150 cadres of ten remote districts.

He said the election process of the delegates was democratic and the party had tried its best to make the election process inclusive and proportional as far as possible. There are 170 Dalit delegates.

Badal said that delegates had also been elected from the most backward communities such as Mushahar, Chamar, Khatwe, Rajbansi, Dhimal, Meche, Chhantyal, Kumal, Badi, Surel, Jirel, Sunuwar and the Sherpas and Thakalis from the Himali regions as well.

Delegates from other backward communities (OBC) have also been elected to the convention.

He said they would also hold another meeting in Butwal where they would mainly delve into the business of the inaugural session and closed-door session.