KATHMANDU: CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma Oli and Senior Vice-chair Ishwar Pokhrel are set for a rare leadership battle at the party’s 11th General Convention, after Pokharel formally announced his candidacy during the UML Secretariat meeting on Thursday.
According to leaders present in the meeting, Pokhrel informed Oli that he would contest for the chair, solidifying the first direct challenge to Oli’s bid for a third consecutive term as party chief.
A Secretariat member said Oli had urged leaders to move ahead “in unity and with one mind” to send a positive message to cadres and the public. However, Pokhrel responded that he was “equally capable of leading the party” and would not withdraw his candidacy.
“Oli was taken aback when Pokhrel said he would run,” the leader added. “Pokhrel insisted that after Oli completing two terms, it was time for others to get their turn.”
Oli reportedly asked Pokhrel to reconsider and support a unified leadership, but Pokhrel pushed back, saying unity would be possible only if the chair was left open. When Oli declined, he said he would compete respectfully at the convention.
With Pokhrel’s announcement, leaders inside UML believe the upcoming General Convention will see healthy competition. Several senior leaders, including Ashtalakshmi Shakya, Surendra Pandey, Yogesh Bhattarai, Gokarna Bista and Bishnu Paudel, had earlier pressed Oli to step aside and pave the way for new leadership.
Pokhrel’s rise and shifting power equations
Pokhrel had won the general secretary position twice, first during the eighth General Convention in Butwal and again at the ninth convention where Oli was elected party chair. In the tenth General Convention in Chitwan, he served as Senior Vice-chair in Oli’s team.
However, the party has already decided that the senior vice-chair post will be scrapped, starting with the 11th General Convention, leaving Pokharel without a designated position if he does not contest.
Both Oli and Pokharel are now quietly preparing internal teams, though Pokharel’s camp says he will formally announce his candidacy on November 24. They added that his team may not be unveiled immediately, but “Oli’s camp and Pokhrel’s camp will clearly face each other at the convention.”
Party insiders say the contest will test Oli’s long-held dominance. Though Pokhrel commands experience and organizational respect, Oli’s long tenure as chair and three terms as prime minister give him a significant advantage.
Whether the competition remains limited to the two leaders or develops into full team-versus-team rivalry is still being discussed among senior cadres.
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