KATHMANDU: A task-force meeting of the ruling alliance is underway at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar on Tuesday morning.

Purna Bahadur Khadka, a member of the task-force who is also the General Secretary of the Nepali Congress (NC), informed that the meeting will reach a consensus on the minimum common program and the working procedure of the government.

The cabinet will be expanded once the task force prepares a joint program and hands it over to the top leaders of the ruling coalition. Leaders have said that the cabinet will get a full shape on Wednesday after reaching an agreement on the minimum program.

Senior leaders of the ruling coalition in a meeting held in Baluwatar on Monday agreed to expand the cabinet only after making public the government’s minimum common program.

NC President and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, Maoist Center Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) Chairman Upendra Yadav took part in the meeting.

A task-force is preparing to submit the draft of the minimum common program to the senior leaders by today.

The seven-member task force chaired by NC General Secretary Khadka is working on the draft. “We will submit the report by Tuesday evening,” Khadka said. “We have already finalized many issues.”

NC leader Ramesh Lekhak, Maoist leaders Dev Prasad Gurung and Barsha Man Pun and JSP leaders Rajendra Shrestha and Mahendra Ray Yadav are the other members of the task force.

The minimum common program covers the priorities of the coalition government, government policies and programs, and implementation of federalism, among other issues.