The newly-formed Nepal Communist Party (NCP) plans to form panels to complete the unification process at the province, district and village levels.

A day after uniting the two major communist parties — CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Center)  - leaders from both sides have agreed to form panels at the provincial and local levels and complete the unification process from top to bottom. The panels will get three months to complete the remaining unification process. An action plan is being formulated shortly on how to make the unification process respectable in the party’s organization across the country.

“So far, we have not finalized the action plan on how to complete the remaining unification works. A joint meeting of the standing committee and the secretariat will decide it,” said Narayan Kaji Shrestha, spokesperson for NCP.

According to My Republica, the party’s leaders in the provinces and local units will be picked as members of the panels to finalize party unification process in their respective areas. The panels will be mandated to unite the sister organizations of the merged communist parties.

The newly formed party aims to hold its first general convention within two years. “We hope to complete the party unification process and hold a new general convention within two years,” said CPN leader Yogesh Bhattarai, adding, “And that will decide the party’s new leadership.”

Spokesperson Shrestha, however, said the 441-member central committee will decide the date of general convention. “The party’s central committee will fix the date for the convention that will later resolve the remaining issues including the party’s new leadership,” said Spokesperson Shrestha, adding, “We can’t undermine the general convention’s mandate in electing party leadership.”

Shrestha said there will be no discussion over the party’s political ideology—Socialism Oriented Peoples’ Democracy — claiming that the issue has already been settled while merging the two parties into one. “There will be no majority or minority about the party’s political ideology,” said Shrestha. 

Leaders privy to the development say the two chairmen of NCP have made a gentleman’s agreement. They said Pushpa Kamal Dahal will replace the existing Prime Minister KP Oli once he completes three years in the government. Dahal will lead the government for the remaining two years. “There is an agreement over government leadership but the party’s general convention scheduled to take place in next two years will decide about the party’s new leadership,” said a party leader requesting anonymity.