Five months after the party's general convention, the CPN-UML on Saturday formed a 17-member Standing Committee. The Standing Committee comprises of 14 office-bearers and three other leaders, including senior leaders Jhala Nath Khanal and Madhav Kumar Nepali.

The meeting of office-bearers held at the party's central office in Balkhu today decided to pick up leader Mukunda Neupane also in the Standing Committee. Office-bearers including the chairman, five vice-chairpersons, the general secretary, two deputy general secretaries and five secretaries are included in the Standing Committee by virtue of their position in the Central Committee.

According to a UML source, three other leaders--Surendra Pandey, Shankar Pokharel and Raghujee Pant-- are also expected to be nominated in the party's powerful committee reports The Himalyan Times.