UML leaders resist Oli's unilateral picks; Bhandari says she returned to defend republic

Leaders expressed disagreement at a party meeting after UML Chair KP Sharma Oli attempted to unilaterally put forward names for standing committee and politburo members. At the standing committee meeting held at the party's central office in Chyasal on Friday, when Oli was about to announce the list of names, members asked to speak first. Oli then allowed other leaders to speak.

Senior leader Bidya Devi Bhandari, Vice-chairs Raghu Panta, Prithvi Subba Gurung and Gokarna Bista, Deputy General Secretary Raghubir Mahaseth, Secretaries Hikmat Karki and Rajan Bhattarai, and Standing Committee member Ishwar Pokhrel presented their views at the meeting. Their position is that since proposing names directly could invite controversy, politburo and committee members should be selected only after first setting clear criteria.

Most standing committee members suggested to the chair that running the party solely on the strength of a majority would make it difficult to face challenges, and advised maintaining internal unity by accommodating all sides.

According to party secretary Padma Aryal, Bhandari said she had returned to party politics to defend the democratic republic, as she saw a threat to democracy and the constitution in the country. Aryal said Bhandari held the view that the parties which brought democracy must themselves defend it.