KATHMANDU: Leaders who were denied election tickets after challenging CPN-UML chair KP Sharma Oli at the party’s 11th general convention have nonetheless taken to the campaign trail to support UML candidates in the ongoing parliamentary elections.
Although Oli withheld tickets from leaders who had questioned his leadership style and capacity, many of them have actively joined efforts to ensure the party’s victory in their respective constituencies.
In Taplejung, UML Vice General Secretary Yogesh Kumar Bhattarai, who won the seat in the 2079 BS election, was denied a ticket. Instead, Oli nominated Kshitij Thebe, a relatively untested figure. Despite this, Bhattarai appealed to party leaders and cadres across the country to work for the UML candidate’s victory and personally traveled overnight to Phungling on Tuesday to attend Thebe’s nomination program. A rally led by Bhattarai escorted Thebe to the election office, where he filed his candidacy in Bhattarai’s presence.
Similarly, in Chitwan Constituency No. 1, UML leader Surendra Pandey, who was denied a ticket after losing the race for general secretary at the 11th convention, was seen at the forefront of a rally during the nomination of UML candidate Krishna Raj Pathak. Despite being sidelined, Pandey joined the campaign on the very day of nomination to support the party’s candidate in his former stronghold.
In Kavre, Gokul Baskota, who had won elections in both 2074 and 2079 BS by large margins, was denied a ticket for standing against Oli at the convention. Oli instead nominated Dhulikhel Mayor Ashok Byanju. Baskota traveled from Lokanthali in Bhaktapur to Kavre to participate in Byanju’s nomination program, signaling his support despite personal differences.
Likewise, in Bara Constituency No. 1, Oli nominated Achyut Mainali, sidelining veteran leader Purushottam Poudel, who had played a key role in establishing the UML in Madhesh. Despite not being aligned with Oli’s faction, Poudel joined Mainali from the first day of the nomination process and marched shoulder to shoulder with him to the election office.
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