Three weeks after assuming office, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Thursday expanded his Cabinet by inducting five members from his party and two from the coalition partners.

With six deputy prime ministers appointed so far, the Oli administration holds a new record of the most DPMs.

One from his party CPN-UML and two more from the CPN-ML and Rastriya Janamorcha were sworn in on Thursday as the PM’s deputies with separate portfolios.

Oli named UML Vice-chairman Bhim Rawal as the defence minister with DPM position while CPN-ML General Secretary CP Mainali and Rastriya Janamorcha chief Chitra Bahadur KC were also appointed DPMs with Women, Children and Social Welfare; and Poverty Alleviation Ministries, respectively.

Earlier Oli had appointed Maoist leader Top Bahadur Rayamajhi to Energy, Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Loktantrik Chairman Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar to Physical Planning, and Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal head Kamal Thapa to Foreign ministries, all with DPM portfolios.

Oli picked UML Deputy General Secretary Bishnu Poudel as the finance minister. Additionally, Sherdhan Rai heads the Information Ministry and Ananda Pokharel the Tourism Ministry while Shanta Manabi has got no portfolio.

Manabi was appointed at the last moment in place of Asta Laxmi Shakya who turned down the offer. President Bidhya Devi Bhandari administered the new ministers the oath of office at Sheetal Niwas in the PM’s presence.

Sources close to Oli said the Cabinet is likely to get larger as two important ministries—Federal Affairs and Local Development, and Urban Development—are still without ministers.

And more state ministers are expected to be inducted as per a power-sharing arrangement with junior coalition partners and also to balance the power equation within the UML.

“Some ministers and state ministers will be inducted in the Cabinet, most probably tomorrow,” said PM’s Press Adviser Pramod Dahal.

Leaders close to UML senior leader Jhala Nath Khanal and leader Madhav Kumar Nepal have criticised the PM for not addressing internal dynamics while picking ministers.

“He has monopolised his position and backtracked on his commitment to fair distribution of ministerial seats,” said party Deputy General Secretary Ghanshyam Bhusal.

UML Secretary Gokarna Bista described it as a missed opportunity to address intra-party matters.

The Cabinet, though a jumbo one, could still fall short of matching the sheer number of ministers in the Baburam Bhattarai-led government in 2011.

Bhattarai broke his predecessor Sher Bahadur Deuba’s record by forming a 49-member Cabinet.

Oli is preparing to appoint the local development minister from the RPP-Nepal, urban development minister from his party and several state ministers from smaller allies.

Legal eagles have criticised the government for breaching the constitutional provision. The newly adopted constitution sets 25 as the maximum number of ministers. Including the PM, there have already been 26 Cabinet ministers.

“This is a serious violation of the constitution,” said Senior Advocate Bhimarjun Acharya.

Press Adviser Dahal, however, said the provision applies only to the Cabinet to be formed after the election of the federal parliament.

Shakya rejects minister post

Contrary to the trend of doing everything possible to get a ministerial berth, CPN-UML Vice-chairperson Asta Laxmi Shakya, who was nominated as the labour and employment minister, rejected the offer.

Immediately after her nomination, Prime Minister KP Oli called her to the President Office’s for the oath.

Shakya declined the offer, suggesting instead that the PM pick new faces in the Cabinet.

She told him that she had already got two opportunities to serve as minister.

“I had already told KP comrade to choose another leader instead of me. When he asked me to accept it, I humbly declined,” Shakya told the Post.

Shakya represents the Madhav Kumar Nepal camp in the UML. “It puts a huge moral pressure on the prime minister. Those who are getting ministerial berths back to back should learn from her,” said leader Ghanshyam Bhusal. (PR)