Secretaries from various ministries are eying the two vacant secretary positions at the National Planning Commission, but vice chairman Jagdish Chandra Pokhrel and chief secretary Bhojraj Ghimire say they still have not found the appropriate people. Lobbying hard are Bhairabraj Kaini who is joint secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Ram Kumar Shrestha from Finance, and Ramhari Aryal from Health.
Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat is said to be looking for people loyal to the Nepali Congress to fill the two secretary positions at the ministry. Mahat dismisses all recommendations made to him saying that he needs senior officers with experience.

Deep Basnet is acting secretary at the Finance Ministry, and Binod Gyawali acting secretary at the Ministry of Health, but both are eager to be regional administrators instead. Sushil Samsher JB Rana, acting secretary at the Maoist cantonment organisation office, wants to move to the Election Commission, while Ram Kumar Shrestha from Finance is understood to be happy to be the acting secretary at the cantonment office if he cannot get into the planning commission.