Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: CPN-UML Senior Vice Chairperson Ishwar Pokharel said on Tuesday that he would run for the post of Chairperson in the party’s upcoming 11th General Convention.
Issuing a press statement, Pokharel urged incumbent Chairperson KP Sharma Oli to facilitate a smooth leadership transfer and assume the role of a guardian in the party.
He also called for the re-establishment of the two-term limit for the party’s main leadership in the statute—a concept originally introduced by KP Sharma Oli himself at the 7th National General Convention.
“I am committed to developing the CPN-UML into a decisive national force by assigning responsibilities to party comrades according to their qualifications, capabilities, and interests, and by advancing collective leadership and initiative,” Pokharel said. “I expect the party chairperson to play a positive role in the transfer of leadership, respecting the values of internal democracy that he himself put forward.”
Pokharel strongly advocated for the return of former President and former party Vice-Chairperson Bidya Devi Bhandari to active party politics. “Given her commitment to the party’s ideology, barring her from membership hinders the party’s unity and strength. An environment must be created, and will be created for her return to party work,” he added.
Chairperson Oli is expected to run for a third term as the party’s Chairperson in the upcoming convention.
