The ruling CPN has finally decided leadership of different departments including the much-wanted school department.
The secretariat meeting held at the official residence of prime minister (PM) in Baluwatar on Friday has finalized chiefs of all 33 party departments.
The party has agreed to hand over leadership of 19 of the 33 departments to former CPN-UML leaders and 14 to Maoist leaders, according to CPN Spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha.
Secretariat member Ishwore Pokharel has been given the school department to end the long dispute between the two chairmen KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and the erstwhile UML and Maoist factions.
Secretariat member Madhav Kumar Nepal will lead the foreign department while Ram Karki will be his deputy. Secretariat member Jhala Nath Khanal will head the policy and academy department while secretariat member Bam Dev Gautam will head the organization department.
Secretariat member Shrestha, who was claiming for the school department, has been given the publicity department while former finance minister Surendra Pandey will head the finance and planning department. Dor Prasad Upadhyaya will be Pandey's deputy.
Radha Gyawali will lead the industry and commerce department while Bam Dev Chhetri will be her deputy. Similarly, Matrika Yadav will head the consumers' rights and supplies department and Balaram Baskota will be his deputy; Chakra Pani Khanal will lead the agriculture and land reform department and Hari Parajuli will be his deputy; and Haribol Gajurel will head the treasury and financial management department and Krishna Gopal Shrestha will be the deputy.
The party had failed to finalize heads of departments due to the dispute over the school department.
Leaders had agreed to hand over leadership of 18 departments to former UML leaders and 14 to Maoist leaders but both the factions were claiming for the school department.
Oli was adamant that secretariat member Ishwore Pokharel should lead the school department while Dahal insisted that another secretariat member Shrestha should get the department.
Former Maoist leaders vehemently opposed appointment of Pokharel saying a person who has been lobbying to make people's multiparty democracy the united party's guiding principle should not be made chief of the school department.
But Oli and the former UML leaders have finally had their say with former UML general secretary Pokharel getting the department.
