EIGHT NEW MINISTERS ASSUME OFFICE TUESDAY Kathmandu, 19 March: Eight new ministers inducted into the three-member election government of Khil Raj Regmi formally ttend office Tuesday. They couldn’t join office Monday as they were appointed only MOday night. Shankar Koirala, Madhav Poudel, Bidhyadhar Mallik, Chhabi Raj Panta, Tek Bahadur Thapa Gharti, Ram Kumar Shrestha, Uma Kanta Jha and Ridhhi Baba Pradhan—all retired special clas officials are the new cabine entrants completing a 11-member ministry. The entire cabinet will met in formal session later in the afternoon Tuesday. The first task is to fill vacancies in the constitutional bodies. Election commissioners have to be appointed immediately if the second constitutional assebly vote is to be held by 21 June. A high-level political committee of four main political players has recommended 18 June as the election date. Two members each of the with links to the four powers were appointed ministers Monday night as critics charged the Regmi government of being a ‘puppet of the outgoing government. The four politicl players also meet Tuesday afternoon to name their nominees for vacant positions in constitutional bodies. Nnnn FRONT WITH MAOISTS MEETS ‘ A front formed by CPN Maoist and Madeshbadi parties when they were in government is meeting for the second time in three days as parties prepare for assemblye lecions. The front comprised 21 parties when the Maoists and terai parties were in office for more than 18 months. Maoist Chairman headed the alliance formed to collect maximum support. The aim of the front now is to keep the body intact until elections .to ‘win’asembly elections. Tuesday’s meeting was held at the Prachanda residence as some parties dropped out of the alliance charging Maoists for sidelining small parties. nnnn