CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli is finding it very difficult to form his team for the upcoming general convention.
Among the existing 18 office-bearers, the majority have openly sided with the Oli faction. While Senior Vice-chairman Ishwar Pokharel has said that he will challenge Oli for chairmanship, only six office-bearers have come out in his support.
Oli faces the dual challenge of accommodating the incumbent office-bearers in his group while also finding roles for new leaders.
According to a leader close to Oli, a proposal to increase the number of office-bearers will be presented at the secretariat meeting scheduled for Friday. Oli is planning to increase the number of vice-chairs to five and the number of secretaries to nine.
Amid the debate over increasing the number of office-bearers, Oli's most pressing challenge is the selection of the candidate for general secretary.
There are three aspirants for general secretary from the Oli faction. Shankar Pokharel is seeking reelection as general secretary, while Deputy General Secretaries Prithvi Subba Gurung and Pradeep Gyawali are also aspirants for the position. All three leaders have openly expressed their aspirations to Oli, but Oli has not revealed his preference yet.
He has not given his word to anyone, but has given a hint of a possible team to his close associates.
According to one leader, General Secretary Pokharel is Oli's first choice for the general secretary position. Oli believes it is easier to implement his plans through Pokharel, given his deep involvement in organization building and his reach to the grassroots level of party workers.
The establishment faction believes Pokharel is naturally Chairman Oli’s choice for the position because he not only acts as an interpreter of the party's policy, programmatic principles, and organizational structure, but also defends the chairman.
However, dissatisfaction has grown within the group due to Pokharel's working style. Vice-chairman Bishnu Paudel and Prithvi Subba Gurung are reportedly displeased with Pokharel's style and factional behavior. If he becomes the candidate for general secretary, there is a risk that he might face non-cooperation from both Paudel and Gurung.
After Pokharel, Oli's preference is for Pradeep Gyawali.
Gyawali is currently the head of the party's school department. After the 10th general convention, he has not only trained leaders and workers in 68 districts, but has also produced trainers through the school department. The number of such trained workers has reached 7,783.
He also assisted Chairman Oli in theoretical and policy work while in government and in the drafting of the UML's political documents. Because of this, he has positioned himself as a competitor in terms of political and ideological standing.
Gyawali also holds a critical view on certain issues. Oli was displeased with him for some time after he expressed critical support during the dissolution of the House of Representatives on December 20, 2020. Some leaders believe Oli might be reluctant to give him the responsibility due to such reasons.
According to a leader close to Oli, there is a strong possibility that Oli will repeat Gyawali as deputy general secretary and propose Pokharel for general secretary.
However, Gyawali has already told Oli that he will not seek reelection as deputy general secretary or become a vice-chairman, say leaders close to Gyawali. He has told Oli that he wants to become the general secretary.
"He has said that he will not repeat as deputy general secretary under any circumstances and will not become vice-chairman either," a leader close to him said.
Meanwhile, Prithvi Subba Gurung is a leader who rose from the indigenous nationalities community. He is a leader who presents strong and firm views and positions within the party regarding federalism.
Recently, he has broadened his scope of study. Although he has enhanced his statecraft, political-ideological, and organizational capabilities, he is often involved in controversy due to his statements. Even when he was in the previous government, Gurung had landed in controversies due to some of his remarks.
Although Gurung has expressed his aspiration for the position of general secretary to Chairman Oli, leaders close to Oli suggest that Oli's wish is to set him up elsewhere.
Sources say that Oli has almost decided on the vice-chairman’s position for Gurung.
"He will become a vice-chairman this time. We understand that is the chairman's conclusion," a leader close to Oli said.
Vice-chairman Bishnu Paudel has publicly stated that he will contest for any post except chairman and general secretary. If Oli does not agree to make Gurung the general secretary, the seven office-bearers who sided with Oli before the selection of delegates will push for Gyawali to become the general secretary.
They have already discussed this within their group. Those advocating for Gyawali as general secretary include Vice-chairman Paudel, Deputy General Secretary Gurung, and Secretary Padma Aryal, among others.
Senior Vice-chairman Ishwar Pokharel's group is also watching how Chairman Oli forms his team. To prevent discontent within his group and to avoid chaos by entrusting the team formation to others, Oli has taken the responsibility for creating the list himself.
"How can workers from the east choose a leader from the west? How can workers recognize a leader? The leadership knows all the leaders and has tested their qualifications and abilities. Therefore, this time I will prepare the list, and everyone will vote on it," Chairman Oli has reportedly been telling the delegates who come to meet him.
According to sources, Pokharel’s group is preparing to announce its panel only after Oli releases his list. Nevertheless, the Pokharel camp is likely to field Surendra Pandey for general secretary.
If Oli nominates Gyawali as the general secretary candidate, Pokharel’s group might change its candidate too. Secretaries Gokarna Bista and Yogesh Bhattarai are aspirants for general secretary in Pokharel’s group.
