Following internal dispute, the Unified CPN (Maoist) has decided not to expand the central committee for the time being.

A meeting of the central committee held at the party headquarters in Paris Danda, Koteshwor, on Thursday took this decision.

According to leaders, the meeting arrived at the decision that there was no need to extend the central committee for now. While speaking during the meeting, most of the leaders emphasised that strengthening the party organisation was more important than inducting new members in the central committee.

There was dispute in the party after different state committees and affiliate organisations recommended as many as 500 names to be inducted in the central committee, which was to be enlarged to 175 from the existing 137.

Some reports said the party leadership was preparing to extend the central committee to 250, making it the largest leadership body of any political party in South Asia.

Earlier, the party's standing committee and the politburo had endorsed the proposal to enlarge the central committee. nepalnews.com