The newly-cobbled left alliance of CPN-UML, CPN (Maoist Centre) and Naya Shakti Party-Nepal has formed separate taskforces for preparing election manifesto and determining candidates for the upcoming elections. The top party leaders had agreed to form such a mechanism following their six-point agreement on Tuesday.

The alliance has already announced that the UML and the Maoist Centre would split seats in a 60:40 ratio in the upcoming polls.

According to UML sources, the taskforce mandated to develop manifesto comprises Bam Dev Gautam, Bhim Rawal and Pradeep Gyawali from the UML; Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Dev Gurung and Bishwo Bhakta Dulal from the Maoist Centre and Dambar Khatiwada and Laxmi Devkota from the Naya Shakti Party-Nepal.

A meeting of the party unification coordination committee has also formed a separate taskforce under UML General Secretary Ishwor Pokhrel to determine candidates for the upcoming elections. The seven-member taskforce comprises UML leaders Bishnu Poudel and Surendra Pandey; Ram Bahadur Thapa, Barsa Man Pun and Matrika Yadav from the Maoist Centre and Ganga Shrestha from the Naya Shakti Party-Nepal.  (PR)