Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba is likely to delay the nomination of the remaining office bearers and Central Working Committee (CWC) members, according to his aides. Deuba wants to wait it out until the election of the Parliamentary Party leader, which is scheduled for April 4.

“Deuba is in no mood to fill the remaining positions before the PP election,” said Prakash Sharan Mahat, a Deuba supporter.

Deuba will have to nominate three members to the Office Bearers—vice-president, general secretary and joint general secretary—and 11 CWC members, as provided by the party statute.

There is a long list of aspirants who want to be nominated. Deuba faces a tough balancing act in nominating leaders who are close to him as well as those supporting senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel. In line with his electoral promise of ending factionalism in the party, Deuba will have to give space to Poudel supporters as well, said a leader.

His aides, including Khum Bahadur Khadka, Purna Bahadur Khadka, Bimalendra Nidhi, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki and Bal Krishna Khand, want to be in the Office Bearers.

A leader close to Deuba said Khum Bahadur had got word before the convention for an Office Bearer seat. He secured second highest votes in the CWC member election. But Mahat said he was unaware of any such promises.

Deuba supporters are pressing him not to appoint Khum Bahadur, who has stood against secularism and federalism. He said he would strongly demand at the NC meeting a vote on secularism and federalism during the party’s Mahasamiti meeting expected to be held within six months.

There are at least two dozen leaders who want to be nominated for the 11 CWC vacancies. Another challenge for Deuba is making the appointments inclusive. The party’s Janajati lawmakers are complaining that the elected CWC is not inclusive, which should be compensated for through nominations.

Right after his election as the party president, Deuba nominated seven CWC members who had lost elections for Office Bearer positions, including his rivals.