At a time when Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has been criticised for nominating more members in the Parliamentary Board than allowed by the party statute, the board was further expanded on Saturday, making it 22-member. 

Prescribed to have 15 members, the board is tasked with selecting the party’s candidates for the federal and provincial elections scheduled for November 26 and December 7.

Deuba, who chairs the board, nominated 14 party leaders as its members on Wednesday. On Saturday, he appointed five members to the board.

The additional members are Shekhar Koirala, Minendra Rijal, Farmulla Mansur, NP Saud and Man Bahadur Bishwokarma. Koirala and Rijal are considered close to senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel while the three are Deuba supporters. There were calls in the party to incorporate more members from the Muslim and Dalit communities. According to party leaders, Deuba was forced to induct more members after intense pressure from rival camps