CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli seems intent to continue Ram Bahadur Thapa as Bagmati incharge of the party after proposing to continue Lekh Raj Bhatta as one in Far West.
Ashta Laxmi Shakya and Bhim Rawal were UML incharge in Bagmati and Far West before the party unified with CPN (Maoist Center) to form CPN. But Oli looks set to continue former Maoist leaders Thapa and Bhatta, who joined the party after the Supreme Court (SC) invalidated unification of UML with CPN (Maoist Center) on March 7, at the helm in the two provinces despite pledging to implement the 10-point deal which had returning the party to the state it was before unification as the foundation.
Oli had unilaterally made newcomers Thapa and Bhatta the provincial chiefs after the SC invalidated unification with the Maoist Center as Shakya and Rawal were in the then Khanal-Nepal faction of UML.
The Khanal-Nepal faction has formed CPN (Unified Socialist) even as the second generation leaders of the faction including Shakya and Rawal chose to stay in UML after Oli assured that he will return the party to the state before unification as per the 10-point deal of the task force formed to resolve internal dispute in the party. Oli even made Shakya Bagmati CM asking his confidant Dor Mani Paudel to resign to ensure that she did not join the new party formed by the Khanal-Nepal faction.
But Oli seems determined to ignore the 10-point deal continuing Thapa and Bhatta as party chiefs in the two provinces.
Thapa was addressed as Bagamti incharge of UML at a training program for UML cadres organized in Kathmandu on Thursday in presence of Oli and Shakya.
The master of ceremony addressed Thapa as Bagmati incharge and Shakya as chief minister of Bagmati and vice-chair of UML.
