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KP Sharma Oli (left) and Ishwor Pokhrel

Kathmandu, Dec 19: KP Sharma Oli, long accused of blocking the practice of internal democracy within his party, has been elected chair of the CPN UML for a third term, this time with a commanding margin. Of the 301-member central committee, Oli’s side won 226 seats, rival Ishwar Pokhrel’s group secured 12, while 13 members were elected unopposed.

The election process, held in Kathmandu on Wednesday and Thursday, Poush 2 and 3, returned Oli to the top post for a hat trick as party chair.

Ishwar Pokhrel, who contested for the chair with backing from former president Bidya Devi Bhandari, received 564 votes, while Oli secured 1,663 votes from party delegates.

According to the Election Commission, 36 out of 2,263 delegates were absent. A total of 2,227 delegates took part in the voting.

After the election schedule was announced, both the Oli and Pokhrel camps made public their respective panels. A review of these lists shows that 49 members, or 16.61 percent of the 301-member central committee, appeared on both panels. Only 12 members, or 3.98 percent, were listed solely by the Pokhrel camp. As many as 227 members, or 75.08 percent, won in line with the Oli camp’s list. Thirteen members, or 4.31 percent, were elected unopposed.

This outcome makes it clear that Oli now holds firm control over the central committee. Of the 19-member office bearer team, only two leaders outside his close circle won posts: Gokarna Bista as vice chair and Yogesh Bhattarai as deputy general secretary. Since the party’s standing committee and politburo will be formed from the central committee, Oli’s group is set to dominate all key bodies.

The convention results underline how deeply rooted Oli’s influence remains within the UML. Following the Gen Z movement, questions were raised about the legitimacy of the UML leadership, prompting the party to hold its 11th general convention a year ahead of schedule.

While one section argued that the leadership should be supported during a crisis, another pushed for change. Oli chose to test himself through the convention and returned to power through the party’s electoral process.

With his group holding overwhelming strength in the central committee, Oli now faces fewer obstacles in pushing decisions forward. The outcome has also boosted his confidence. At the convention’s closing ceremony on Thursday, he used strong language to warn rival forces against challenging the UML.

Even in the central committee formed after the 10th general convention, Oli had enjoyed a majority. Over time, dissatisfaction with his working style had grown, especially after he refused to endorse the party membership of former president Bhandari. Despite that, delegates selected from the grassroots once again placed their trust in Oli, not only reelecting him as chair but also backing his group to ensure smoother control of the party.

People’s News Monitoring Service