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Kathmandu, Dec 12: Less than three months after overhauling its statute at the Second Statute Convention, the CPN-UML is preparing another major revision of its statute, fueled by rising ambitions and a scramble for top posts.

One of the term’s final Secretariat meetings is scheduled for Friday at 1 PM in Chyasal, Lalitpur, where party insiders say the agenda will cover nominations for the general convention, proposed statute changes, and the convention’s operational framework.

Though the official agenda hasn’t been released, sources reveal that the party is planning to expand the number of office bearers, revive the Standing Committee, and enlarge the Central Committee—effectively rolling back decisions from the recent statute convention.

The 10th General Convention in Chitwan in 2021 had set 19 office bearers, including the chair, one senior vice-chair, six vice-chairs, three deputy general secretaries, and seven secretaries. The statute convention later reduced this to 15 posts, scrapping the senior vice-chair position and the Standing Committee. Now, these positions are poised for a comeback, driven by Oli’s faction, which faces growing competition within its ranks.

Senior Vice-Chair Ishwar Pokhrel’s camp argues that the move is a strategic attempt by Oli to limit support for Pokhrel, who has openly declared his challenge for the top post. Party insiders confirm that Oli has instructed leaders to push amendments, reversing the Godawari Statute Convention (Sept 5–7) decisions, as the surge of aspirants threatens the current power balance.

Critics within the party warn that rewriting the statute now undermines previous decisions. Vice-Chair Ashta Laxmi Shakya has called for focusing on generational leadership transition rather than legal tweaks, noting that both Oli and Pokhrel have served long tenures and should be allowed to hand over responsibly.

Leaders in the Pokhrel camp, including Karna Thapa, argue that if changes were necessary, the convention itself would have addressed them, and reversing its outcome sets a dangerous precedent.

With both factions entrenched, Friday’s Secretariat meeting is expected to be highly contentious, potentially defining the UML’s internal power dynamics ahead of the upcoming general convention.

People’s News Monitoring Service