Kathmandu, November 21: UML Senior Vice-Chair Ishwar Pokharel has announced that he will contest for the post of party chairperson at the party's 11th General Convention. At the Secretariat meeting held on Thursday at the party headquarters in Chyasal, Lalitpur, Pokharel criticized Chair KP Sharma Oli’s working style and presented his claim to the leadership.

A source said that Pokharel remarked during the meeting that the party can no longer move forward under Oli's leadership. “The chairperson’s behavior and working style are not right. His recent remarks are not befitting the party,” Pokharel is learnt to have said.

Emphasizing the need for healthy democratic practices within the party, Pokharel made it clear that he would not step back. “If there is competition, I will be a candidate for chairperson. There must be healthy competition,” the office bearer said, quoting Pokharel's remarks in the meeting.

Responding to Pokharel, Chair Oli said that everyone in the party is free to become a candidate. According to the office bearer, Oli stressed the importance of maximizing consensus and unity but also stated that the results of democratic processes must be accepted.

“There is freedom to run for chairperson. The chairperson emphasized that we should move forward united as far as possible,” Oli opined.

According to the party’s Deputy General Secretary, Pradeep Gyawali, Chair Oli said that the party rank-and-file as well as the entire country currently want a unifying General Convention within UML. Citing past instances where leaders left the party after losing internal elections, Oli urged members not to repeat such mistakes.

Oli recalled that even after he himself was defeated at the 8th General Convention, he worked for party unity. He also mentioned that leaders like Madhav Nepal and Bhim Rawal left the party after defeat or dissatisfaction, which weakened the party.

“Let us not reach the situation of Madhav Nepal or Bhim Rawal. Let us compete healthily; that alone doesn’t make a difference. But when the need for movement arises, we must move forward in coordination,” Gyawali said, quoting Oli.

People’s News Monitoring Service.

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