Prachanda keeps senior leaders away from power

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) seems to have completely sideline section of senior leaders in the CPN (MC).

While Krishan Bahadur Mahara and Haribol Garurel had been denied tickets, leaders like Barsaman Pun, Janardan Sharam and Shakti Basnet have been denied space in the cabinet.

Instead he chose to include – Rekha Sharma, Sudhan Kirati, Amanlal Modi as ministers and Sushila Shreepali as State Ministers – all junior leaders in the cabinet.

In the first round of cabinet formation he included Narayan Kaji Shrestha due to factional reasons but from the original Maoist side all senior leaders who could have poured some challenge are kept aside.

According to Maoist sources, Prachanda has made an attempt to cliff the wings of possible dissents by side lining the senior ones-some by denying tickets and other by not allocating space in the cabinet.

While Sharma has already challenged Prachanda publicly in a couple of party forums, Gajurel is believed to have declined an offer made by Prachanda to join as one the senior advisers position in the PM secretariat.

The party’s strength has remarkably declined in the recently held elections winning just 32 seats in the HoR. Although Prachanda heads the cabinet, his party has fewer number of ministers compared to that of the CPN-UML.