KATHMANDU: The ruling CPN-UML has proposed eliminating the position of senior vice chairperson from its organizational structure.
This proposal was tabled by Vice Chair Bishnu Prasad Paudel during the party’s Secretariat meeting held on Thursday at its central office in Chyasal, Lalitpur.
According to one party official, the new proposal seeks to reduce the number of central office bearers from the current 19 to 11. The proposed structure includes one chairperson, three vice chairpersons, one general secretary, one deputy general secretary, and five secretaries.
A 199-member central committee has also been proposed. The recommendation to remove the senior vice chair post comes as the party prepares for its second statute convention, scheduled for August 5 to 7 in Godavari, Lalitpur. The move aligns with a similar restructuring already implemented in the party’s sister organizations.
Senior Vice Chair Ishwar Pokharel, who currently holds the post proposed for elimination, presented his views on the matter in the meeting. Vice Chair Asta Laxmi Shakya also commented on the restructuring, as did other party officials.
The proposal is seen in the context of internal tensions following Pokharel’s public criticism of Chair KP Sharma Oli at a Madan Bhandari Foundation event on June 28.
Though the proposal has not been finalized, UML leaders are preparing to present it to the upcoming Politburo meeting on July 18 and the Central Committee meeting on July 21.
The Secretariat meeting on Thursday finalized the agenda for both meetings. According to office secretary Dr. Bhishma Adhikari, the plan is to approve the changes through these bodies before tabling them at the statute convention.
If adopted, the proposed amendment would not only reduce the number of leadership positions but also formally remove the post of senior vice chair from the party hierarchy. This could prevent Pokharel, a key figure in UML’s leadership who is eligible to serve another term if the age limit is lifted, from continuing in his current role.
The current 19-member leadership team was elected during the party’s 10th General Convention in November-Decmber 2021. The structure includes one chairperson (KP Sharma Oli), one senior vice chair (Ishwar Pokharel), six vice chairs (Yubraj Gyawali, Asta Laxmi Shakya, Surendra Pandey, Ram Bahadur Thapa ‘Badal’, Bishnu Paudel, and the late Subas Chandra Nembang), one general secretary (Shankar Pokharel), three deputy general secretaries (Pradeep Gyawali, Prithvi Subba Gurung, Bishnu Rimal), and seven secretaries (Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, Raghubir Mahaseth, Chhabilal Bishwakarma, Lekhraj Bhatt, Yogesh Bhattarai, Gokarna Bista, and Padma Aryal).
Top Bahadur Rayamajhi is currently in custody, and Subas Chandra Nembang passed away. The party leadership is now considering restructuring both for political effectiveness and in response to internal rifts that have surfaced in recent months.
Comment