KATHMANDU, APR 27 -
As the Ninth General Convention of the CPN- UML draws near, a hunt for the party’s new leader has intensified.
UML
senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal and Parliamen-tary Party (PP) leader
KP Sharma Oli are vying for leadership while incumbent Chairman Jhala
Nath Khanal seems not interested in seeking another term.
Sixty-year-old Nepal remained the party chief for 15 years—since the
death of charismatic leader Madan Bhandari in 1993 to 2008 when he
stepped down after the party’s poor show in the first CA election. He
has been trying to stage a comeback.
Oli, an acerbic and outspoken communist leader, has emerged as a strong
contender for the post. Although he has not held the party’s executive
position, he defeated Khanal in the PP leader race in February. The
62-year-old has adopted all possible measures to land the party’s top
position.
Oli has been securing his fort by taking Khanal’s lieutenants
Vice-chairman Bam Dev Gautam and General Secretary Ishwor Pokharel into
confidence. Khanal, despite making an alliance with Nepal, lost the PP
election and thus gave up his hope for being re-elected the party chief.
“Besides overwhelming support from the party rank and file, eight of
the 10 politburo members elected from the fifth general convention have
backed Oli,” said Prithivi Subba Gurung, an Oli supporter.
Gautam, Ishwor Pokharel and Pradeep Nepal, Shankar Pokharel, Bishnu
Poudel, Pradeep Gyawali, Khagaraj Adhikari and Mahesh Basnet have
intensified lobbying for Oli. Similarly, Khagaraj Adhikari, Guru Baral,
Karna Bahadur Thapa, Rajan Bhattarai, Chhabilal Bishwokarma and Kiran
Gurung are in talks with leaders from rival camps to bring them into the
Oli faction.
Leaders said Oli is prepared to retain Ishwor Pokharel, Guatam, Bidhya
Bhandari, Shankar Pokharel and Poudel in their present positions, while
Gurung and Pradeep Nepal are likely to be offered the post of office
bearers.
Nepal has attracted a dozen youth leaders from the
Khanal camp. Surendra Pandey, Ghanshyam Bhushal, Gokarna Bista, Arun
Nepal, Yogesh Bhattarai and Thakur Gaire have publicly voiced their
support for Nepal. Longtime comrades Bhim Rawal, Raghujee Panta and
Ganga Lal Tuladhar have been campaigning in Nepal’s favour.
Nepal is preparing to field Pandey or Rawal against Ishwor Pokharel.
“I’m not sure but my candidacy will be for a key position,” said Rawal.
Nepal is likely to field incumbent Secretary Yubaraj Gyawali and Astha
Laxmi Shakya for the post of vice-chairman from his panel.
Senior leaders Bharat Mohan Adhikari, Amrit Kumar Bohora and Siddhilal
Singh are working to re-elevate Nepal as the party chief.
What is more, Nepal is trying to poach Poudel or Gautam from the Oli
camp. Gautam, who shares similar views with Nepal and Ghanshyam
Bhushal-led youths on key theoretical issues and the interpretation of
Nepali society, is lobbying for Oli. Bhushal and other youth leaders are
trying to woo Gautam with vice-chairman’s candidacy in Nepal’s panel
and offering him the party chief’s position next convention.
Leaders representing Oli and Nepal factions have basic differences on
ideology and interpretation of the post-monarchy situation.
Oli faction ideologue Shankar Pokharel and Pradeep Gyawali argue that
the Nepali society is still in a “semi-colonial and semi-feudal” era
while Bhusal’s team argues that feudalism ended with the abolition of
Monarchy after the 2006 uprising. Bhushal’s team terms Nepali society as
capitalist and wants to develop it into communism.
The Khanal factor
Chairman Khanal’s lack of interest in contesting the election has led
around a dozen youth leaders to support Nepal. “I don’t like
confrontation,” Khanal told reporters in Birtamod on Thursday, hinting
that he will take the top position if the party offers it unanimously.
Insiders say chances of electing Khanal unopposed are almost nil in the
shadow of Nepal and Oli fighting tooth and nail.
When asked whom he would support if the party does not propose him to
lead the party, Khanal refused to comment. “Though we are trying to
bring MK Nepal and JN together, it is unclear who he supports,” said a
leader involved in inter-factional negotiations.
Verbal war
Nepal and Oli are engaged in a verbal war. Referring to Nepal’s public
remarks that Oli criticised anti-king statements in the past, Oli on
Thursday said he would not allow cadres to elect already tested leaders
like Nepal. Oli was less active than his comrades in the 2006 uprising.
Oli supporters criticise N
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