Kathmandu, May 23
The newly-formed CPN-Maoist Centre has decided to constitute a nine-member party central office (headquarters) under party President Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ to lead the party.
For now, the party has decided not to include office-bearers in the HQ. A joint convention held after the unification of 10 Maoist parties and factions with the UCPN-Maoist had elected Prachanda the party chief.
A leader said they have reached an understanding to constitute a secretariat comprising 49 to 51 members and a 151-member politburo.
Earlier reports indicated that there were differences within the party on who — Narayan Kaji Shretha or Ram Bahadur Thapa ‘Badal’ — should be made the senior leader, the second most important leader in the party after Prachanda. The Badal camp, Mani Thapa and Matrika Yadav were said to be in favour of making Badal the senior leader.
On the other hand, the Shrestha camp was for making Shrestha the senior leader as he had already served as vice-president of a committee that also included Badal.
The new party has a huge central committee — it will have 699 members when it takes full shape. The party has not picked 100 CC members, expecting cadres and leaders from Maoist and non-Maoist parties to join in.
