Closed session of Oli's UML starts in Kathmandu to select party's new leadership

The session began at 3 PM (Local Time) in Kathmandu, following the inauguration ceremony in Bhaktapur on Sunday, which continues today and tomorrow.

Former Nepali Prime Minister and Party Chair KP Sharma Oli is facing a leadership challenge from Senior Vice-Chair Ishwor Pokharel. However, neither party has announced its panel.

Pokharel, who has declared his candidacy for the chairmanship, is reportedly supported by former President and former party vice-chair Bidhya Devi Bhandari's faction, raising speculation about a potential "Ishwor-Bidhya" panel.

Under the party's current structure, UML has 15 office bearers, including one chair, three vice-chairs, one general secretary, three deputy general secretaries, and seven secretaries.

Meanwhile, CPN-UML Chair KP Oli has amended the party statute, effectively retaining the provisions adopted at the 10th General Convention by revising the newly drafted statute within three months. Under the amended statute, the party will have a 301-member Central Committee, including 19 office bearers.

The statute amendment proposal was tabled at a Central Committee meeting at Bhrikutimandap on Sunday and passed by a majority of members. While leaders from Senior Vice President Ishwor Pokharel's faction expressed strong dissatisfaction with the amendment, the majority supported Oli's proposal. As Oli pushed for a decision, most members applauded, sidelining the Pokharel faction.

The General Convention of the CPN-UML, the largest communist party in the Himalayan Nation, starts in the background of the Gen-Z protest of September that changed the regime of the nation.

The September uprising on September 8 across Nepal left 76 dead. The postmortem report of those killed in police firing in Kathmandu Valley states death due to bullet injuries to the head and chest. During the protest, police are only allowed to fire on the protestors below the knee to control the situation.

The Police also used some lethal weapons to crack down on the protestors, following which the former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak had stepped down from the post. But Oli remained adamant about resigning despite rising pressure.

Three months after the protest, communist leader Oli's party is now headed for the general convention to choose a new party board. Often characterised as apathetic and self-centred, Oli is standing in the fray to continue over the post for which he has also amended the party provisions.

The 11th General Convention of the CPN-UML, currently led by Oli, will continue until December 15 and is being attended by 2,262 representatives from across the country. The closed-door session, where the party's new leadership will be elected, will begin on Sunday in Kathmandu.

Leadership selection at the convention will be guided by the statute and policy endorsed by the Second Statute Convention held from September 5 to 7. Party Chair KP Sharma Oli and Senior Vice-chair Ishwar Pokharel are expected to face each other in the race for the top post. Both sides are likely to contest with full panels for the 15-member office-bearer team.

The party's central secretariat meeting held on Friday finalised the election process, closed-session modality and the basis for leadership formation. (ANI)