First on the list

Deuba needs to channelise his focus on fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

In 2017, when Sher Bahadur Deuba became prime minister, he set a record—and got bad press—by forming the largest ever Council of Ministers in the country’s history by packing it with 50 ministers. Two decades ago, in 1996 also, Deuba led a 48-member Council of Ministers. A bloated Council of Ministers in the past could be attributed to coalition compulsions. During his fifth stint, Deuba does not have the luxury of setting similar records as the constitution has fixed the maximum number of ministers at twenty-five.