UML, MJF nominate their ministers

Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) and Madhesi Jadhikar Forum (MJF) have finalised the list of their ministers in the new government.

UML has named its six-member team of ministers led by senior leader Bam Dev Gautam.

Gautam has been nominated as home minister while Bishnu Poudel and Ram Chandra Jha will be water resources and local development ministers respectively. Likewise, Astha Laxmi Shakya has been named as industries and commerce minister, Kiran Gurung as forest minister and Gopal Shakya as youth and sports minister.

A meeting of the standing committee of the party finalised the names today. UML sources say some central leaders including Bhim Rawal, Radha Gyawali and Surendra Pandey are not happy with the selection and have threatened to quit party if the standing committee does not correct the decision.

Another ruling ally, MJF, has decided to send its four-member team to the government led by party coordinator Upendra Yadav. The party has nominated senior leaders Bijaya Gachhedar and Jaya Prakash Gupta as physical planning and agriculture minister respectively while Renu Yadav has been selected as education minister.

Meanwhile, CPN (Maoist), which will hold nine ministries in the government, has so far named four ministers - Dr Baburam Bhattarai (finance), Ram Bahadur Thapa 'Badal' (defense), Krishna Bahadur Mahara (information and communication) and Dev Gurung (law and parliamentary affairs). nepalnews.com mk Aug 22 08