Fleshingout CC a tough job for Dahal

Maoist leaders in the meeting. (Photo: Bhaswor Ojha)

 KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, March 21: After postponing its central committee (CC) meeting for the third time following its general convention at Hetauda, the UCPN (Maoist) started on Wednesday to give full shape to its CC.

The meeting was postponed as the party failed to share power among the three factions led by Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Vice-chairmen Baburam Bhattarai and Narayan Kaji Shrestha. 
The meeting is also to form an alternative CC to include leaders who are disgruntled after being left out from the 240-member general convention organizing committee. But the alternative CC also will get full shape only in phases in accordance with the reactions of party cadres and leaders, according to Bishwabhakta Dulal, a party CC member.

Similarly, choosing the secretaries is also seen as a very tough proposition for the Maoist party. Those in the race from the three factions outnumber the posts available.

Maoist insiders say that Dahal wants to appoint Mahara as general secretary, promoting Bogati as vice-chairman. If he fails in this, Dahal wants to appoint two general secretaries.

But Bhattarai argued that that would go against the general convention.

The party statute has mentioned the secretaries number will be accordance of the necessity but only one post general secretary.

If matters are resolved by appointing three secretaries, they will be Mahara, Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and Giriraj Mani Pokherel from the Dahal, Bhattarai and Shrestha factions respectively. But some Maoist leaders said the number of secretaries can be increased to four, including Barsh Man Pun.

Sources said Janardan Sharma and Haribol Gajurel also in the race for secretaries.

It is going to be equally tough to form the standing committee.

This time round it is only the party politburo that can be formed, said Dulal.

According to Maoist leaders, the main reason is there is tough competition for only six of the 17 seats. Former standing committee members already number 11. According to the party statue, only a 17-member standing committee can be formed for the 151-member CC.

In the race for party standing committee are Haribol Gajurel, Agni Sapkota, Janardan Sharma, Nand Kishor Pun, Lokendra Bist, Gopal Kirati and Shakti Basnet from the Dahal faction. Similarly, Debendra Paudel, Hisila Yami and Nabaraj Subedi are from the Bhattarai faction. Bishwabhakta Dulal is from the Shrestha faction.

For the party politburo, 34 are in the running, including 17 new faces. The new women´s faces are Kamala Roka Magar, Onsari Gharti Magar, Shashi Shrestha and Anjana Bishankhe. Roka and Gharti are close to Dahal and rest close to Shrestha.

Similarly, Prabhu Sah, Ram Kumar Yadav, Ram Kumar Sharma and Sharwan Yadav are in the race for politburo membership from Madhes.

Those in the race for the politburo from the Bhattarai faction are Ganga Shrestha, Dor Prasad Upadhyaya, Khagaraj Bhatta, Bamdev Chhetry and Kumar Paudel while those from the Dahal faction are Ganesh Man Pun, Jokh Bahadur Mahara, Dhruba Parajuli and Kumar Adhikari.

The general convention decided to form a 151-member central committee, including 98 elected and 53 nominated.

According to Maoist insiders, there is no possibility of the first meeting giving full shape to the central committee as differences among factions over power-sharing remain. The posts of secretaries are vacant as former secretary Post Bahadur Bogati has been promoted to general secretary by the general convention.

Maoists form candidate selection committee

UCPN (Maoist) has formed a nine-member committee under party General Secretary Post Bahadur Bogati to pick candidates for the upcoming election. The party central committee (CC) meeting held at party head office, Perisdanda on Wednesday, also formed another nine-member committee under Vice-chairman Baburam Bhattarai to prepare the election manifesto.

The committee has been formed balancing out the factions led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Vice-chairmen Bhattarai and Narayan Kaji Shrestha.

In the candidate selection committee, Barsha Man Pun, Shakti Basnet, Haribol Gajurel and Lelamani Pokharel are from the Dahal faction, with Hisila Yami, Devendra Paudel and Prabhu Shah from from the Bhattarai faction and Girirajman Pokharel from the Shrestha faction.

The committee for preparing the election manifesto includes Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Lekhraj Bhatta, Gopal Kirati, Sashi Shrestha, Dilliraj Khanal and Dharma Dutta Devkota from the Dahal faction, with Bishwa Bhakta Dulal and Bishwa Nath Shah from the Shrestha faction.
from Republica