Kathmandu, February 7

The CPN-UML will hold secret voting in provinces 1 and 3 on Friday and in Province 4 on Sunday to select provincial parliamentary party leaders, who will be the candidate for the chief minister’s post, according to party sources.

The CPN-UML’s standing committee meeting last week had decided to nominate chief ministerial candidates through secret voting if two or more candidates staked claim to the post.

The meeting had also decided that the first meet of UML provincial parliamentary party, which will be chaired by the senior-most leader, would select the provincial parliamentary party leader.

Selecting chief ministerial candidates has become an uphill task for the UML as there are multiple aspirants for the CM’s post, except in Province 5 where UML leader Shanker Pokharel has already been elected leader of provincial parliamentary party.

UML leaders Sher Dhan Rai and Bhim Acharya have staked their claim to the CM’s post in Province 1, while party Vice-chairperson Asta Laxmi Shakya and Rajendra Pandey are in the race in Province 3, according to sources. In Province 4, Prithvi Subba Gurung and Kiran Gurung are aspiring for the top post.

As per the agreement with the CPN-Maoist Centre, the UML will contest the CM’s post in provinces 1, 3, 4 and 5, while the CPN-MC will contest the post in provinces 6 and 7.