The CPN-UML’s standing committee meeting on Tuesday will finalise the candidates of provincial governments and assemblies.

Left alliance aspirants have started lobbying with their leadership and the voters to ensure their seats.

The two parties have decided to share the provincial governments and the assemblies on a 70:30 ratio with four chief ministers, four speakers and two deputy speakers for the UML and two chief ministers, two speakers and four deputy speakers for the Maoist Centre. They also decided to share the cabinet members in all provinces on the same ratio.

The standing committee will try to pick the candidates through consensus, UML leaders said, but if that could not happen the meeting on Tuesday will finalise a criteria and let the respective parliamentary party to reach a decision on their leader.

“As leaders were in favour of allowing the parliamentary party to decide their leaders, most probably the panel will decide on criteria and let the parliamentary party select their leader and the speaker,” said UML senior leader Jhalanath Khanal.

In Province 1, three leaders—Bhim Acharya, Sherdhan Rai and Jeevan Ghimire —have started lobbying even before the decision of the task force and intensified their activities. 

Party Secretary and Province 1 in-charge Acharya, politburo member and joint in-charge Rai and central member Ghimire have started canvassing for votes.

Vice-chairperson Asta Laxmi Shakya, Rajendra Pandey and Keshav Sthapit are vying for CM of Province 3, Secretary Prithvi Subba Gurung and standing committee member Kiran Gurung are in the Province 4 race, while Shanker Pokhrel is the lone contender in Province 5.