A central committee meeting of the CPN-UML that concluded Tuesday rejected calls by a section in the party for the direct election of the party’s chairman–a post that has been lying vacant since the death of Man Mohan Adhikari, the party said.

Party general secretary Madav Nepal will be the most powerful man in the communist party. K.P. Oli and Bamdev Gautam were pushing the proposal to be discussed at the party’s national convention in Janakpur from February 1.

The party’s standing committee and central committee met for five days to prepare for the February 1 convention.