Radha Krishna Kandel from Palpa has been elected Lumbini chairman of CPN-UML despite party supremo KP Sharma Oli supporting Hari Rijal from Pyuthan.
Kandel, who was supported by UML Vice-chair Bishnu Paudel, secured 479 votes to defeat Rijal fielded by General Secretary Shankar Pokharel with blessing of Oli.
The Kandel panel almost swept the election with the Rijal panel winning only deputy secretary among office-bearers. Provincial members have come from both the panels in almost equal proportion, according to UML leaders.
The party has picked provincial chair through cadres and not the top leader for the first time since the country adopted federalism eight years ago. UML had used election to pick party leadership for the first time in history in the eighth general convention held in Butwal, that now falls in Lumbini province, in February 2009 after the party adopted a multi-post leadership with an executive chair for the first time in its history.
The general convention hall earlier used to pick central members, and the central members would then pick the party chief known then as general secretary. Jhala Nath Khanal was elected chairman in the eighth general convention to become the first party chief to be elected by the cadres.
Internal democracy in UML almost died by the time it reached the 10th general convention held in Chitwan in November 2021. Oli wanted to get elected unopposed and pick leaders for all the positions including office-bearers and central members.
Bhim Rawal, who challenged Oli for party chairman, has been sidelined by Oli for that, while Ghanashyam Bhusal, who contested for vice-chairman going against the list of office-bearers prepared by Oli, had to quit the party after Oli refused to even give him ticket for parliamentary election, while Tanka Karki, who contested for secretary, has also been marginalized.
UML has returned back to democratic practice now through the provincial convention of Lumbini.
The result has also challenged influence of Oli and General Secretary Pokharel who was handpicked by Oli for the post in the 10th general convention. Many in the party still believe that Bishnu Paudel would have been elected general secretary ahead of Pokharel in the 10th general convention had Oli allowed election. But Paudel did not muster courage to challenge Oli-picked Pokharel for the post of general secretary that was then considered to be anointment of Oli’s successor as party chairman.
Oli had instructed the cadres to pick leaders unanimously while inaugurating the provincial convention on September 2.
A UML central office-bearer confided that Oli wanted Rijal to be elected unanimously. But provincial convention eventually decided to opt for election with the representatives almost equally split into two camps as showed by the final result for provincial chairman.
Oli returned to Kathmandu without finalizing leadership as many UML office-bearers, and standing committee and politburo members openly stood in support of Kandel.
Another central office-bearer claimed that Oli tried to get Rijal elected unanimously even after he returned back to Kathmandu and even put pressure on the party’s Lumbini incharge Padma Aryal to get Rijal elected unanimously.
Yet another leader stressed that election of Kandel showed that Oli’s influence and hold in the party is gradually waning and also revealed failure of Pokharel as general secretary.
UML has 19 office-bearers at the center including Chairman Oli. There are currently only 18 office-bearers after suspension of Top Bahadur Rayamajhi as secretary following his arrest in the fake Bhutanese refugees scam.
UML leaders claim that no office-bearer apart from Oli and Deputy General Secretary Bishnu Rimal openly stand for General Secretary in the party now. Pokharel has been accused of rendering vice-chairs and secretaries jobless, while central members are also unhappy with him for transferring them to districts far from their home districts while allocating party responsibilities.
Election in Lumbini and eventual loss of the panel supported by Oli and Pokharel means that party leaders and cadres in other provinces can also dare to opt for election instead of being hand-picked by Oli.
