KATHMANDU: The Communist Party of Nepal (UML) has released the list of 108 nominated delegates for its 11th national convention, scheduled to begin today. With these nominations, a total of 2,262 delegates are set to participate in the convention.
However, the release of the list has sparked controversy within the party. Senior Vice Chair Ishwar Pokharel, a candidate for the party’s top post, expressed serious disagreement with the nominated list.
At Friday’s secretariat meeting, it was reportedly agreed between Chair KP Sharma Oli and Pokharel that the 108 delegates would be finalized jointly. Pokharel claimed that, despite this agreement, the list was published unilaterally this morning.
“The list published today reflects only the names presented by Chair Oli yesterday,” Pokharel said. “I had submitted a separate list from my group. A decision was made to reconcile both lists, but that agreement was violated.”
While the delegate selection was reportedly divided on a 60/40 basis between the Oli and Pokharel factions, Pokharel’s side has alleged the process was one-sided. Similar disputes had previously emerged in various districts during delegate selection.
The 11th UML national convention will be inaugurated at Sallaghari in Bhaktapur, with the closed sessions taking place in Kathmandu. The new controversy highlights the ongoing internal tensions as Oli and Pokharel face off for the party’s leadership.
The released list includes nominated leaders from various clusters within the party.
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