KATHMANDU: UML leader Ram Bahadur Thapa ‘Badal’ is likely to be nominated as vice chair in the party’s 10th general convention underway in Chitwan. Likewise, Top Bahadur Rayamajhi is to be elected secretary.
This was finalized after former Maoists leaders, including Badal, Rayamjhi and others, who joined UML, had a discussion with UML Chair KP Sharma Oli Sunday morning.
After discussions with former Maoist leaders, Chair Oli agreed to nominate two office bearers and 40 central members from the faction of leaders defecting from the Maoist Center to the UML. Furthermore, Oli also committed to nominate two more leaders among the former Maoists in the party’s Standing Committee.
Chair Oli is effortful to elect UML leadership through consensus in the party’s 10th general convention. The convention kicked off Friday and is set to conclude Sunday with the election of the new leadership.
After it seemed that only two berths of office bearers could be given to the former Maoist leaders, leader Rayamajhi has to settle with the post of secretary. Earlier, he had been claiming for the post of Deputy Secretary General.
Though Chair Oli increased the number of Deputy General Secretaries to accommodate more leaders in crucial positions, the number of aspirants vying in those posts also increased. In view of the increased aspirants, Oli reached a conclusion that the former Maoists could not be given the post of Deputy General Secretary.
As the face of unfolding events, former Maoist leader Lekhraj Bhatta, who had claimed the post of secretary, is unlikely to be a office bearers. However, those who do not get a place as the office bearers are said to be managed in the Standing Committee.
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