KATHMANDU: Top leaders of the CPN-UML are set to meet party Chair KP Sharma Oli after several leaders expressed dissatisfaction over the party’s agreement with the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) to share power across all seven provinces.
The dissatisfaction emerged after UML leaders claimed that the party secretariat was not properly informed before the agreement was reached between Oli and NCP Coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’.
Following complaints raised by leaders in the party’s internal secretariat group, senior UML leaders are preparing to visit Oli’s residence in Gundu, Bhaktapur, for discussions.
Koshi Province Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki and former Karnali Chief Minister Yamalal Kadel are among leaders who have publicly expressed concerns over the agreement.
According to Oli’s secretariat, UML vice-chair Bishnu Paudel, General Secretary Shankar Pokharel and other senior leaders are expected to participate in the meeting scheduled at Gundu.
The meeting will focus on the recent power-sharing agreement with NCP as well as the report submitted by UML’s province-level consultation taskforce, which gathered suggestions from across the country.
The internal discussions come amid growing debate within UML over the party’s decision to cooperate with NCP and the implications of the agreement for provincial leadership arrangements.
The Oli-Prachanda agreement has already paved the way for new coalition governments in several provinces, with UML and NCP agreeing to divide chief ministerial positions between them. However, the deal has faced criticism from some leaders of both parties over the process and political direction.
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