KATHMANDU: Former President Bidya Devi Bhandari has reportedly made up her mind to return to active politics within the CPN-UML, despite visible hesitation from the party leadership.
According to a UML leader close to her, Bhandari expressed her firm decision during a one-on-one meeting with party chair and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli at the UML headquarters in Chyasal, Lalitpur.
During the meeting, Oli is said to have advised Bhandari against re-entering frontline politics, cautioning that those who return from high offices like the presidency often face public criticism and slander. In response, Bhandari made it clear she had already renewed her party membership and was committed to participating in the party’s active political process.
The leader present at the meeting also said Bhandari voiced dissatisfaction with the way the party is treating her, particularly its lack of engagement on the ideological evolution of People’s Multiparty Democracy and her own political role.
“There’s discussion on a 70-year age cap in the party, but no space to talk about Bidya Bhandari,” she reportedly told Oli.
Her apparent discontent stems not only from ideological disagreements but also from what she sees as her marginalization after stepping back from power during Oli’s two terms as party chair.
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