KATHMANDU: With the election schedule for the 11th National Convention of the CPN-UML made public, party Chair KP Sharma Oli and Senior Vice-Chair Ishwar Pokhrel have intensified efforts to form their respective panels.
Both sides are engaged in finalizing names for key office-bearer positions. In a move seen as a direct challenge to Oli’s leadership, Pokhrel has finalized Surendra Pandey as his candidate for General Secretary, Yogesh Bhattarai for one of the posts of Deputy General Secretary, and Gokul Baskota for Secretary.
A UML leader close to the Pokhrel camp said discussions within the group have so far concluded decisions on three major positions.
As the party has decided to appoint five Vice-Chairs, the Pokhrel faction has already agreed on some names, while deliberations on others are ongoing. Gokarna Bista and Binda Pandey are among those finalised for Vice-Chair so far. The group is making efforts to ensure inclusive representation by selecting candidates from indigenous, women and male leaders.
Consensus has been reached on Surendra Pandey for the single post of General Secretary, while Yogesh Bhattarai has been finalized for one of the three Deputy General Secretary positions. The remaining two Deputy General Secretary posts are yet to be settled.
For the Secretary positions, the Pokhrel group has finalized Gokul Baskota, while discussions are underway on other potential candidates, including Krishna Gopal Shrestha and Rachana Khadka.
Meanwhile, the ongoing 11th National Convention of the UML is set to begin at Bhrikutimandap from 8 am today. According to the party’s Election Commission, the final voter list published on Sunday evening allows time for claims and objections until 9 am today.
Chief Election Commissioner Dr Bijay Subba said preparations are in place to publish the final list of candidates today and hold voting on Tuesday. As per the election schedule, investigation into claims and objections on the voter list will be completed by 10 am, followed by the publication of the final voter list at 10:15 am.
The commission will distribute nomination forms from 9 am to 12 noon. Candidate registration is scheduled from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm, while the preliminary list of candidates will be published at 2:30 pm. A 30-minute window has been allocated for filing complaints against candidates starting at 2:30 pm, with investigations to be completed within 10 minutes.
The final list of candidates will be published at 6 pm, according to the official election timetable. A total of 2,263 representatives are participating in the convention.
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