KATHMANDU, Sept 24: Following the Gen-Z movement uprising, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, who lost power, remains determined to stay at the helm of the party.
After resigning as Prime Minister, he stayed under army protection. Once he stepped out of the army’s cordon, Oli set up residence in Gundu, Bhaktapur, and has been meeting party officials to create a favorable environment to retain his leadership.
However, Vice-Chairman Bishnu Paudel, General Secretary Shankar Pokhrel, and Deputy General Secretary Pradeep Gyawali have indicated that such actions could lead to problems. A party source said Oli remains stubborn about not relinquishing leadership.
For the past four days, Oli has been holding one-on-one discussions with officials and other leaders to build support. About two weeks ago, the party’s statute convention allowed amendments enabling Oli to serve a third term as chairman. However, political developments in the country following the convention have created an unfavorable environment for him to remain chairman. Many UML leaders are aware of this but have not stepped forward to take party leadership.
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Oli has been meeting party leaders according to a schedule. He is trying to convey to them that there is no alternative to his leadership while also attempting to secure their support. He has already met Vice-Chairman Paudel and Deputy General Secretary Prithvi Subba Gurung in Gundu.
Senior Vice-Chairman Ishwar Pokhrel visited Gundu on Sunday to meet Oli. Pokhrel suggested convening an executive meeting, citing unfavorable internal and external circumstances, but Oli reportedly indicated that a meeting before Dashain is unlikely. A source said, “During the meeting, Senior Vice-Chairman Pokhrel requested an executive meeting, but Chairman KP Sharma Oli did not respond.”
Oli has reportedly informed his close aides that he will hold a meeting only after Dashain. He hinted to his close leaders that a coalition against him is forming and that it should be allowed to grow. Within the UML, leaders such as Senior Vice-Chairman Pokhrel, Vice-Chairmen Yubaraj Gyawali and Surendra Pandey, Secretaries Gokarna Bista and Yogesh Bhattarai, and Standing Committee member Arun Nepal advocate for a leadership change. Some are even debating the issue on social media.
Meanwhile, Vice-Chairpersons Ashtalaxmi Shakya, Paudel, Rambahadur Thapa, and Guru Baral, along with Deputy General Secretary Gurung and Secretaries Lekhraj Bhatta, Chhabilal Bishwakarma, Raghubir Mahaseth, and Padma Aryal, have not publicly expressed opinions on the leadership change. General Secretary Pokhrel, Deputy General Secretary Gyawali, and Standing Committee member Mahesh Basnet have indicated that a leadership change cannot happen at present. However, Pokhrel and Gyawali reportedly tried to advise Oli in a one-on-one meeting that the current situation needs reconsideration.
During the Gen-Z protests on Sept 8-9 against misgovernance and social media restrictions, 74 people, including protesters, lost their lives, and more than 400 were injured. On Sept 9, following the destruction of government and private infrastructure, including Singha Durbar, the Supreme Court, and the federal parliament building, PM Oli resigned. Following the protests, he, his cabinet members, and leaders of older political parties remained under army protection for several days, as protestors expressed anger by vandalizing and setting fire to the homes of leaders and party workers.
On Tuesday, Oli briefly addressed young party workers at his residence, emphasizing that Nepal is a country of honest and hardworking people. “This is our country, and we must build it. We don’t know who set the fire. People who love the country and history surely did not burn the Singha Durbar. Some have long claimed they would burn the Singha Durbar. This was planned. We must understand such things,” he said.
Meanwhile, the decision by the CPN-Maoist Center has put pressure on the UML for leadership transfer. Maoist Center Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal proposed that the party recognize the sentiment of the Gen-Z movement and restructure the party, presenting a four-point proposal.
Following Dahal’s proposal, some UML leaders pressured Oli to participate in party restructuring. “After Maoist Center Chairman Dahal said he would submit a proposal to the central committee within a week for a special convention and form the convention organizing committee, our chairman is under pressure,” a UML official said.
Dahal’s proposal calls for creating a new structure through a special convention to move the party forward, including significant representation for youth, women, and Dalits. The proposal envisions organizational transformation and decisions made at the convention, including directly electing all office-bearers, including the chairman.
