KATHMANDU: The CPN-UML is holding a meeting of its Parliamentary Party today to elect its leader.
The decision was taken during a Secretariat meeting held at the party’s central office in Chyasal on Tuesday. The parliamentary party meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Party leaders said the responsibility of coordinating the meeting has been assigned to House of Representatives member Ram Bahadur Thapa Badal, who also serves as the party’s first vice-chairman. He is widely seen as the frontrunner for the parliamentary party leadership.
In the March 5 House of Representatives elections, the UML secured nine seats under the first-past-the-post system and 16 seats through proportional representation. Notably, none of the party’s top office bearers were elected directly.
Senior leaders, including Thapa, Secretary Padma Aryal and former vice-chairman Guru Baral, entered Parliament through proportional representation.
While Thapa is likely to be chosen as parliamentary party leader given his seniority, some leaders have called for selecting a younger directly elected lawmaker, such as Suhang Nemwang or Kshitij Thebe.
The UML is expediting the selection process ahead of the first meeting of the House of Representatives, scheduled for Thursday at 2 p.m.
Comment