KATHMANDU: Kshitiz Thebe has been re-elected as the Chair of the National Youth Federation Nepal, the youth wing of the CPN-UML, through the organization’s 10th general convention.
Thebe defeated his rival, current General Secretary Suman Puri, by 188 votes. While the final results have not been formally announced, Thebe secured 796 votes compared to Puri’s 608, confirming his victory.
With this, Thebe’s entire panel has been elected. Puri, who had led much of the groundwork leading up to the election, saw his panel defeated. Despite efforts by senior leaders including Mahesh Basnet, Ramesh Paudel, and current in-charge Rajiv Pahari to persuade Puri to step aside, their attempt was unsuccessful, prompting a full election on Tuesday.
Backed by UML Chair KP Sharma Oli and Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal, head of the party’s coordination mechanism for sister organizations, Thebe is now set for a second term.
Out of 1,764 total representatives, only 1,404 cast votes, with 360 absent. Voting began at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Regional vote breakdowns included 185 from Koshi, 101 from Madhesh, 164 from Bagmati, 131 from Lumbini, 116 from Sudurpaschim, 123 from Gandaki, 105 from Karnali, 69 from the special province, and 410 from the organizing province.
Among the 12 UML-affiliated sister organizations that held general conventions since Falgun, the youth federation was the first to conduct elections to select leadership. Other organizations, including the Press Chautari, appointed leadership through consensus without holding elections.
Comment