With the top leaders apparently at odds over major issues on leadership and ideological setting of the unified party, a meeting of the Party Unity Coordination Committee (PUCC) on Sunday turned its focus on setting priorities of a new government.

The PUCC meeting, which was expected to form two task forces for framing the organisational and ideological issues, instead came out with a separate task force to set priorities on good-governance and development issues.

The task force would draft a report on priorities for the new government based on the joint election manifesto of the two communist parties.

The seven-member task force includes Bamdev Gautam, Bhim Rawal, Bijay Poudel and Yubaraj Khatiwada from the CPN-UML and Barshaman Pun, Girirajmani Pokhrel and Min Bahadur Shrestha from the CPN (Maoist Centre). Shrestha and Khatiwada are the former vice chairpersons of the National Planning Commission.

Leaders claimed that the two task forces formed for preparing documents of party unity would only be formed after the top leaders reach a consensus on major issues— organisational integration and ideological issues.

The discussion that had started on Friday between two chairpersons Oli and Dahal on the issues, including power sharing, organisational integration and ideological, for the unified party, would continue, according to PUCC member Narayan Kaji Shrestha.

“Unifying two large parties, each having long history, is not an easy task. We have dared to accomplish the difficult job and it will take some time,” Shrestha said.

The PUCC meeting held at UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli’s residence in Balkot also endorsed the report on sharing of candidates for the National Assembly election.

“The coordination committee endorsed the report. The two top leaders could make any correction if needed,” said Maoist Centre leader Pun.

The task force of the alliance led by Subash Nembang had presented a report on NA election. The two parties have decided to field 43 candidates in the election, with UML contesting for 29 seats and the Maoist Centre 14.

Prior to the PUCC meeting, Dahal had consulted with PUCC members Shrestha and Ram Bahadur Thapa as well as chiefs of seven provinces.

“We asked the province chiefs of the party to finalise the names according to the clusters as decided by the task force,” said Shrestha, adding that the names would be announced on Monday.