Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Vice Chairperson Bishnu Paudel and General Secretary Shankar Pokharel have joined forces within the CPN-UML with the aim of removing party Chairperson KP Sharma Oli. The alliance between these two leaders, both of who are considered close to Oli, has intensified debate within the party about generational transition and transformation.
However, party leaders and cadres are questioning the two regarding the timing and intent of their move.
Following the party’s defeat in the March 5 elections held on Falgun 21, the two have reportedly formed an alliance, concluding that the party cannot continue in its current state. According to leaders, the two, once political rivals, have come under the same page caling for generational transformation in the party. They say the alliance has been formed with the intention of removing Oli and taking over party leadership.
Critics, however, say the alliance came after the time has already passed. Although the unity of the two leaders, once regarded as Oli’s trustd lieuenants, is seen as positive by some, there is also a belief that Oli weakened the party largely due to the support of second-generation leaders like these two.
Pokharel is considered extremely close to Oli, with the party largely run under Oli’s command. Paudel, too, was seen as a close ally.
The two leaders, who lead separate factions in the party, were often accused of undermining each other during elections. Both leaders, whose political base lies in Lumbini Province, were close to Oli but rivals to one another. Now, however, they have come together. Some observers find it unusual that both are now moving against Oli.
“How will this unity move forward? What will be its significance especially as it came after the time has already passed?” questioned UML leader Usha Kiran Timilsena. “This is very late. It should have been thought through in time.”
Before the general convention held in December there was pressure within UML for Oli to step down. However, leaders claim that Oli resisted relinquishing power largely because of support from Pokharel and Paudel. By backing Oli, these two leaders weakened opposing factions within the party. Their alliance helped Oli become party chair for a third time through the 11th General Convention.
However, the start of Oli’s third term was not favorable for the party. In the subsequent House of Representatives election, UML recorded one of its weakest performances in history.
After the formation of a new government and Oli’s arrest, second-tier leaders finally arrived at the conclusion that an alternative to Oli must be sought. “We had been saying this repeatedly, but now it seems the leaders have finally realized it,” another UML leader Karna Thapa said.
Pokharel and Paudel had supported Oli for a long time. Their roles in the party became even more prominent after the 2017 unity with the then CPN (Maoist Center) to form Nepal Communist Party.
According to former UML leader and spokesperson of the CPN (Unified), Damodar Aryal, the dominance of Pokharel and Paudel grew after Oli was elected chairperson through the 9th General Convention in 2014. “After the merger with the Maoists, Paudel even became General Secretary, and Pokharel served in Oli’s secretariat when he was prime minister,” Aryal said. “These two leaders were aligned with Oli in almost all major developments within UML. No doubt, Oli is responsible for UML’s decline, but Pokharel and Paudel are even more responsible.”
Both supported Oli in the 10th General Convention held in 2021. Both had ambitions to become general secretary, but Oli appointed Pokharel to the post and made Paudel vice chairperson. This later led to factional conflict between the two, which sidelined many leaders within UML.
“From within Oli’s inner circle, Pokharel and Paudel influenced many leaders and pushed many others to the margins,” Aryal said.
Now, putting aside their differences, the two leaders have joined hands against Oli. According to one leader, there is now an understanding that one of the two, Paudel or Pokharel, will become the position of party chair while the other will take a senior leadership role.
However, Khimlal Bhattarai, a close ally of Paudel, says no final decision has been made regarding future leadership. “We are in favor of generational change and transformation. The party needs to move forward in a new way. Leadership has not yet been finalized,” he said.
According to Bhattarai, the goal is not merely to remove Oli but to rebuild the party around a new axis.
Meanwhile, a signature campaign is underway at UML headquarters calling for a special general convention. According to Kamal Joshi, deputy general secretary of ANNFSU, the party’s student wing, the campaign aims to transfer party leadership to a younger generation through the special convention.
