Despite his earlier pledge to send the party’s list of ministers right after the Nepal Students’ Union general convention that concluded on Thursday, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba faces a tough time managing several factions within the party before Cabinet expansion.

Even though a preliminary list of ministers has been prepared by the party leadership, sources say that the Cabinet would only be expanded once Deuba’s trusted lieutenant Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs Bimalendra Nidhi returns from India on Monday.

The NC, a key coalition partner in the government, has so far sent only two ministers to the government—Nidhi and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Ramesh Lekhak. Both were sworn in along with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on August 4.

NC leaders say that the party president is giving his final touches to the list of ministers by incorporating three particular factions—led by Ram Chandra Poudel, Krishna Prasad Sitaula and Khum Bahadur Khadka. “Our president is trying his best to satisfy all the sides before the list is sent. The names of ministers should be out by Monday or Tuesday,” said lawmaker Ram Hari Khatiwada of Okhaldhunga.

According to sources, a major reason for the delay in Cabinet expansion is Poudel’s reluctance to settle for four ministries, instead of the five his close aides have been asking him to demand. Since Nidhi has been the mediator between Deuba and Poudel, sources also said that Deuba would likely “wait for Nidhi to arrive to settle the names”. From among a long list of aspirants in the Poudel camp, party Treasurer Sita Devi Yadav, Shekhar Koirala, Kamala Panta and Nabindra Raj Joshi are said to be the frontrunners.

Among Khadka’s loyalists, either Shankar Bhandari or Mohan Basnet will join the government. Gagan Thapa, a widely popular youth leader, is also said to be in line for a ministerial berth from the Sitaula faction.

When it comes to the party president’s own team, settling his loyal aides is also a challenging task. Arjun Narsingh KC, who had earlier demanded leadership of the NC team in the Cabinet and later rejected the offer to choose either the health or the defence ministry, is now said to be settling for the Ministry of Education. Among others, Prakash Sharan Mahat, Bal Krishna Khand, Ambika Basnet, Bhisma Raj Angdembe, Jeevan Bahadur Shahi and Ram Hari Khatiwada are likely to make it to the Cabinet from the establishment side.