CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli's efforts to elect office-bearers by consensus look set to fail despite him proposing to increase the number of office-bearers and central committee with his two lieutenants standing firm on their claims for general secretary.
Oli's proposal to raise the number of office-bearers from 15 to 19, and central committee members to 301 from 225 was endorsed by the central committee meeting Friday midnight. The statute last amended in the statute general convention in October will again be amended once the proposal is endorsed by the closed session of the ongoing general convention on Saturday.
The central committee meeting has proposed to increase the number of deputy general secretary to three from one and that of vice-chair to seven from five but the number of general secretary will remain one.
Deputy general secretary Bishnu Paudel and standing committee member Shankar Pokharel, both Oli's lieutenants, are vying for general secretary, the second most powerful position in the party, and are standing firm on their claims for the post.
Many feel that the person Oli proposes for the post will be his political heir. The party's statute has set a ceiling of 70 years for party leadership. Most of the senior leaders including Oli, Bhim Rawal, Ishwar Pokharel, Ram Bahadur Thapa, Subash Nembang, Yuvaraj Gyawali, Ashta Laxmi Shakya and others will cross 70 before the next general convention.
Paudel and Pokharel will both be under the age limit and whoever will be proposed as general secretary by Oli or gets elected this term—as the party looks to elect office-bearers through consensus—will get a head start in the race to become party chief after the 11th general convention.
A central member confided with Setopati that leaders have intensified discussion ahead of the closed session on Saturday but stated that it will be difficult to decide who out of the two will become general secretary.
The central member revealed that Secretary Pradeep Gyawali, also an Oli confidant, has also staked claim for general secretary if there is no consensus for the post.
A leader close to both Paudel and Pokharel claimed that Oli prefers Pokharel to Paudel and President Bidya Devi Bhandari also wants to make Pokharel general secretary. But Paudel looks likely to win if there is election for the post.
Paudel looks set to be backed by Subash Chandra Nembang—who is staking claim for senior vice-chair, Prithvi Subba Gurung, Chhabi Lal Bishwokarma, Khim Lal Bhattarai, Raghubir Mahaseth , Mahesh Basnet, Gokul Baskota, Basanta Nembang and others, and leaders close to him claim that most from the erstwhile Khanal-Nepal faction and ex-Maoists will also back him.
Shankar, meanwhile, will be backed by Ishwar Pokharel—also staking claimi for senior vice-chair, Bishnu Rimal, Rajan Bhattarai, Bhanubhakta Dhakal, Karna Thapa, Khagaraj Adhikari and others.
