CHITWAN: CPN-UML Chairman KP Oli has been re-elected as the party Chairman securing overwhelming votes while his only contender Bhim Rawal received moderate votes.

With this win, Chairman Oli has secured a second term as the party Chairman for another five years.

The result of the votes held at Sauraha of Chitwan at the party’s 10th National Convention has surprised no one — inside or outside the party as it was expected, observers said.

The result shows that Chairman Oli enjoys popular support in the party while Rawal has moderate support.

Chairman Oli, who is also a former Prime Minister, has for long focused on populist issues.

Born on the 22nd of February 1952 in Terathum district of Nepal, Oli also served as the Chairman of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) after the unification of the CPN-UML and the Maoist Center.

He served as the country’s Prime Minister from 11 October 2015 to 3 August 2016. Oli was also the first elected Prime Minister under Nepal’s new constitution.

Likewise, K P Oli was also appointed as Prime Minister of Nepal for the second time on 15 February 2018.

The eldest son of Mohan Prasad and Madhumaya Oli, he completed his primary school education in Tehrathum. In 1963, his family then migrated to Jhapa from where he started his political life.

Oli’s political career began in 1966 against the then Panchayat system. Oli joined the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) in 1970 and actively got involved in political activities. He was first arrested in 1970.

In 1971, Oli became the party’s district committee member and in 1972, he was entrusted with the responsibility as the chief of the Jhapa Movement Organizing Committee.

Later, he was imprisoned from 1973 to 1987 — for 14 consecutive years. As soon as he released from jail in 1987, Oli became the central committee member of UML in-charge of the Lumbini Zone.

After the success of the 1990 People’s Movement, Oli was elected from Jhapa constituency – 6 to the Parliament in 1991. In 1992, Oli became the chief of the CPN-UML’s foreign department.

In 1994, he was re-elected to parliament. He then served as Home Minister in the minority government led by Manmohan Adhikari. In 1999, Oli was re-elected to the House of Representatives from Jhapa constituencies 2 and 6.

In 2006, Oli served as the country’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Interim Government led by Nepali Congress President and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala. However, in 2008, Oli was defeated in the Constituent Assembly elections from Jhapa-7.

Likewise in 2013, Oli was elected from Jhapa-7 in the 2013 Constituent Assembly elections and was also elected as the Chairman of CPN-UML in July 2014.