Kathmandu, November 21 -- Ishwar Pokhrel, a senior vice-chair of UML, has officially declared his candidacy for the position of party leader...
Kathmandu, November 21 -- Ishwar Pokhrel, a senior vice-chair of UML, has officially declared his candidacy for the position of party leader.
The UML held a Secretariat meeting at the party headquarters in Chyasal on Thursday, marking the first such gathering since the Gen Z-led uprising in early September. The party office was set ablaze during the demonstration.
The 50th Secretariat meeting of the party addressed arrangements for the 11th National General Convention, scheduled for December 13-15, along with planned demonstrations in Kathmandu on November 22 and other topics.
The UML has stated that it will apply pressure both in the streets and in the courts to restore the House of Representatives, which was dissolved shortly after the September 8-9 uprising removed then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. During the demonstrations, the ruling party's offices were damaged and set on fire, particularly the Chayasal headquarters.
Previously, Pokhrel had stated his desire to run for the highest position in the party. In addition to announcing it at different events, he also shared his plan with the Post earlier this month. Nevertheless, Pokhrel has not yet submitted it to a party meeting.
Pokharel informed the Secretariat meeting that he is prepared to run, according to a UML leader who spoke to the Post. "He also encouraged Oli to step back and assume an advisory position within the party, similar to that of a guardian," the member of the secretariat mentioned.
Deputy General Secretary Pradeep Gyawali, speaking to the media following the meeting, mentioned that party leader Oli views the challenge as an inherent part of the general convention.
Oli shared his worry that leaders who had lost in earlier general conventions had caused divisions inside the party, and that this should not happen again this time, Gyawali stated.
Oli stated that Madhav Kumar Nepal caused splits within the party following his loss of the leadership position at the ninth general convention in 2014. Bhim Rawal, he alleged, fulfilled a comparable role after losing the top position at the tenth convention in 2021.
The UML had already chosen to cut its 19-member secretariat down to 15 members, a move that was approved by the party's second National Statute Convention held on September 7.
This ruling means the role of senior vice-chair will no longer be available following the next general convention. It is also reported that the decision prompted the senior vice-chair, Pokhrel, to assert his claim for the highest position in the UML.
In the UML secretariat, Secretary Top Bahadur Rayamajhi continues to be on hold due to his current legal detention related to the fabricated Bhutanese refugee scheme.
Of the remaining 18 members, vice-chairs Yubaraj Gyawali, Asta Laxmi Shakya, Surendra Pandey, and Bishnu Paudel, as well as secretaries Yogesh Bhattarai and Gokarna Bista, are said to support Pokhrel.
As per a member of the secretariat, vigorous conversations are taking place with other leaders to secure backing for Pokhrel.
In addition to Vice-chair Guru Ghimire, General Secretary Shankar Pokhrel, and deputy general secretaries Pradeep Gyawali and Bishnu Rimal, other members of the secretariat are anticipated to be part of Pokhrel's group, according to a party official.
It remains uncertain which candidates will challenge for the position of general secretary from Pokhrel's faction. The group is waiting for Deputy General Secretary Prithvi Subba Gurung to decide whom to support for the highest party position.
It is reported that Gurung favors running for the position of general secretary from Oli's faction, yet within this group, the present general secretary, Shankar Pokhrel, aims to seek another term. Should Shankar Pokhrel step down from his role, Pradeep Gyawali is expected to be the panel's nominee for the position, which would diminish Gurung's prospects.
In such a scenario, officials state that if Gurung becomes part of the Pokhrel committee, they are ready to nominate him for the position of general secretary. "There is no issue regarding other roles within our committee. If Gurung doesn't join, we will finalize the general secretary and other positions as the general convention nears," a representative mentioned, requesting anonymity to talk about the situation.
As the leader of the government during the Gen Z protests, Oli became the primary focus of the young people demonstrating against corruption. In the resulting violence, a total of 76 individuals died.
On the initial day of the protests, 19 unarmed protesters, primarily young students, lost their lives. Violent demonstrations erupted throughout the nation the next day. As tensions increased, Oli had to leave the prime minister's residence and was taken out by an army helicopter.
Nevertheless, as the movement slowly declined, Oli started to strongly condemn the Gen Z demonstrations.
The Gen Z movement sparked doubts about Oli's political significance, but he is set to remain as party chair. He obtained legal support for his re-election at the party's Second National Statute Convention, which ended on September 7, just a day before the Gen Z protests swept the nation.
Previously, there was a discussion within the UML regarding eliminating the 70-year age cap and the two-term limit for leadership positions. Nevertheless, the statute convention removed both restrictions, allowing Oli to maintain his leadership role, as the leader in his seventies is currently serving his second term as party head.
In a similar manner, former President Bidya Devi Bhandari, who had re-joined her party and shown willingness to come back into the party's ranks, has had her membership canceled, reportedly due to Oli's influence. Bhandari, who is in her early sixties, stepped down as vice-chair of the UML after being elected as the nation's President in 2015.
Long before the Gen Z movement gained momentum, concerns about Oli's leadership were already being discussed, both by those outside the party and within its ranks. Nevertheless, no leader had publicly contested him. Consequently, although there were some uncertainties regarding Oli's re-election, the route ahead appeared largely clear.
Currently, a group of UML leaders is coming together under Senior Vice-chair Pokhrel to challenge Oli.
UML's second-tier leaders selected Pokhrel as the party chairman candidate following Oli and his group rejecting former President Bhandari's request for party membership, even though she had declared her intention to rejoin the party.
As per party insiders, Bhandari is supporting Pokhrel to succeed Oli. Party officials who are thinking about creating a different committee to oppose Oli mentioned that next week, Pokhrel is set to officially declare his candidacy for the party leadership alongside Bhandari.
When Bhandari revealed in June her intention to return to party politics, several UML leaders, including Pokhrel, expressed their support. Their goal was to leverage her comeback to contest Oli's authority. Nevertheless, the party's central committee ultimately chose, based on ethical considerations, not to allow a former president to become a party member, thereby preventing Bhandari from having any position within the party.
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