Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on Monday expanded the Council of Ministers formed under his chairmanship on May 02.

Koirala added 11 new faces in his cabinet, which now has 12 ministers and six state ministers.

Meanwhile, a press statement issued by the Press Secretariat of the Royal Palace said His Majesty King Gyanendra expanded the cabinet on the recommendation of the Prime Minister in accordance with the constitution of the kingdom of Nepal, 1990.

Those included in the Koirala cabinet are Narendra Bikram Nemwang and Chitra Lekha Yadav of Nepali Congress (Democratic), Rajendra Pandey, Pradeep Gyawali and Mangal Siddhi Manandhar from CPN-UML.

Similarly, newly appointed state ministers are Gopal Rai, Dilendra Prasad Badu and Man Bahadur Biswakarma of Nepali Congress, Urmila Aryal and Dharma Prasad Shah of CPN-UML and Ramesh Lekhak of NC (D).

NC (D) leaders Nemwang and Yadav have been given Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources portfolios respectively.

Likewise CPN-UML leaders Pandey, Gyawali and Manandhar have been appointed as Local Development, Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and Education and Sports ministries respectively.

State ministers Rai, Badu and Bishowkarma who represent the NC have been assigned the portfolios of Forest and Land Conservation, Information and Communications and Science and Technology.

UML leaders Aryal and Shah have been made state ministers for Women, Children and Social Welfare and General Administration respectively. NC (D) lawmaker Lekhak has been appointed as the minister of state for Labour and Transport Management.

There are seven members from Nepali Congress (NC), six from CPN-UML, four from NC (Democratic) and one from United Leftist Front.

Earlier, the seven-party alliance (SPA) had agreed to form the cabinet with representation of all constituents of the SPA, but there was no representation of Nepal Sadbhawana Party (Anandidevi) and People’s Front Nepal in the expanded cabinet. The Nepal Workers and Peasants Party has already said it won’t participate in the government.

Deputy speaker Yadav has declined her appointment as the minister for Water Resources saying the party did not consult with her while recommending for name.

Prime Minister Koirala has kept Defense, Royal Palace, Health and Population and Industry, Commerce and Supply portfolios with himself.