KATHMANDU: Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba are expected to hold discussions today regarding a possible Cabinet reshuffle.
Although the exact time has not been finalized, sources at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat confirm that the meeting is likely to take place this afternoon, with the ministerial reshuffle as the primary agenda.
As the first year of his fourth term comes to an end, Prime Minister Oli has been pushing for significant changes in the Council of Ministers. However, progress has been stalled due to resistance from the Nepali Congress, the main partner in the ruling coalition.
Prime MInister Oli, who has reportedly identified ministers with underwhelming performance, had previously held several rounds of talks with the Nepali Congress, including discussions over a list of ministers.
However, after the Nepali Congress Central Working Committee decided to retain its current ministers following a review of the government’s first year, Oli temporarily shelved the reshuffle plans.
Sources indicate that PM Oli, who is also chairperson of the CPN-UML, is now prepared to move forward with the reshuffle—potentially replacing ministers from his own party, the Nepali Congress, and the Loktantrik Samajbadi Party (LSP). He is expected to meet Deuba today to press for cooperation and ask him to reconsider the Congress party’s earlier decision.
“The reshuffle depends partly on the Nepali Congress’s decision, which is why the Prime Minister is personally meeting with Deuba,” a source close to PM Oli said.
“If the Nepali Congress provides alternative names, that would be ideal. But even if they don’t, changes will be made within a few days.”
Prime MInister Oli is said to have based the decision on four key reasons: poor performance, repeated controversies, concerns raised by coalition partners, and growing internal factionalism within his party.
He reportedly believes that removing underperforming ministers—including some from the Congress—would ultimately benefit the coalition and improve governance.
Deuba, however, is reportedly focused on maintaining internal balance within the Nepali Congress ahead of the party’s general convention, and has so far been reluctant to make major changes.
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