The main opposition CPN-UML has named its Chair KP Sharma Oli as the commandant for the upcoming provincial and federal elections.

A meeting of the UML Standing Committee held at its Parliamentary Party office in Singha Durbar on Tuesday decided to form the election coordination and resource mobilisation committee led by Oli. Even as the UML has yet to formally discuss candidates for the upcoming polls, all the members of the Standing Committee will be in the poll race. The UML standing committee has 26 members including three invited members and one nominated member.

Despite speculations that some of the committee members might have to leave their constituencies following an electoral alliance with the CPN (Maoist Centre) and the Naya Shakti Party, Nepal, the meeting decided to secure seats for the members.

UML Secretary Gokarna Bista said the party’s central body would decide candidates for parliamentary polls from October 12. By then, the party expects the team tasked with dividing the constituencies to complete its job. “We’ll first decide candidates to contest direct election and then candidates for proportional representation,” said Bista.

The UML decision might make it difficult for the taskforce to divide the constituencies in alliance with the two other parties as the number of hopefuls has grown while the constituencies have been reduced to 165 from 240.

It is learnt that Oli has made up his mind to contest the election from Jhapa-5. He was also recommended from Siraha-1. Senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, who was recommended from Kathmandu-2, Rautahat-1 and 4, is likely to choose Kathmandu while party Vice-chairman Bam Dev Gautam, who was recommended from Bardiya-1 and Pyuthan, has picked the former as his constituency