KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Depba has started preparations to deactivate the ordinance on political parties before the expansion of the Council of Ministers.

A source said that Prime Minister Deuba has entrusted the responsibility to Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand, Law Minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, and Attorney General Khamma Bahadur Khati to initiate the process for deactivating the ordinance.

The government is taking the step to avoid dissatisfaction within the ruling party and the danger of a party split.

“The major concern was either to save the parliament or dissolve it. Now that with the ordinance, the parliament will run its full term,” said a leader close to PM Deuba.

Top political party leaders are of the view that if the cabinet is expanded without deactivating the ordinance, there are possibilities that the parties could split given the number of aspirants for the post of ministers.

If the ordinance is continued, the Nepali Congress, which has 68 lawmakers, including seven in the National Assembly, can be split by 14 lawmakers, while the CPN-Maoist Center, which has 63 members, can split by only 13 lawmakers.