KATHMANDU: CPN-UML Standing Committee member Gokul Baskota has released a new political poster featuring the late UML ideologue Madan Bhandari, signaling an ideological positioning ahead of the party’s 11th General Convention.
Baskota, who is aligned with the Ishwar Pokharel camp in the ongoing internal power dynamics, unveiled the poster on Wednesday. The design prominently displays a portrait of Bhandari alongside the slogan: “To safeguard democracy and the nation’s existence, UML needs a firm and balanced leadership.”
At a time when many UML leaders and cadres have been circulating posters carrying images of incumbent party Chairman KP Sharma Oli, Baskota’s decision to highlight Bhandari instead has drawn attention within political circles. His move is being interpreted as an attempt to invoke the party’s ideological roots and indirectly question the current leadership’s direction.
Baskota’s poster features his own image alongside Bhandari’s, reflecting his message that the party’s future should be guided by the late leader’s principles of “people’s multiparty democracy,” the ideological framework Bhandari introduced in the early 1990s.
The internal climate within UML has become increasingly competitive as various factions promote their preferred leadership line-up ahead of the General Convention. While the Oli camp has intensified visibility with posters promoting their continuity, Baskota’s choice to bring Bhandari’s legacy to the forefront appears to be aimed at reinforcing ideological purity and balanced leadership within the party.
UML leaders have yet to formally comment on the poster, but party insiders say Baskota’s message underscores rising debates over organizational discipline, leadership style, and the party’s long-term ideological orientation.
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