KP Oli elected UML chairman

KATHMANDU, July 16:After months-long intense campaign and fierce competition between two rival panels, KP Sharma Oli has been elected CPN-UML party chairperson by a narrow margin from the party’s ninth general convention held here in Kathmandu.

UML parliamentary party leader Oli secured 1,047 votes while his competitor former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal got 1,003 votes when all the ballots were counted by Tuesday evening.

A veteran communist leader Oli had contested for the post of chairperson in the party’s eighth general convention held in Butwal in 2009, as well. Jhalanath Khanal had defeated him by a narrow margin.

Sixty-two-year-old Oli is taken as a straightforward politician with an ability of decision-making in crucial political issues. The newly-elected chairman of the second-largest party is famous for his witty comments and can’t hesitate even to take an anti-current stance, too.

This is Oli’s second important victory this year alone in the party’s key posts. In February, Oli defeated incumbent Chairman Khanal in the race for UML’s parliamentary party leader. During the competition, Nepal had supported Khanal while party vice-chair Bamdev Gautam and General Secretary Ishwar Pokharel had backed Oli.

The same Oli-Gautam-Pokharel alliance continued until the general convention. Though most of the leaders from the Khanal faction joined Nepal’s team, the party chairman himself didn’t back Nepal openly.

As the two rival panels led by Oli and Nepal were in competition during the general convention for the party’s top posts, the results were mixed for leaders from both the sides. Among those elected, seven office bearers are from the Oli panel while seven others won from Nepal’s side.

Among those elected for the post of five vice-chairpersons, two — Bamdev Gautam (1,124) and Bidyadevi Bhandari (1,100) — are from the Oli panel while the other three — Bhim Rawal (1,143), Yubaraj Gyawali (1,062) and Astalaxmi Shakya (1,047) — are from the other panel. Gautam and Bhandari were vice-chairpersons in the immediate past committee while Gyawali was secretary. Shakya was politburo member and Rawal was central committee member.
Incumbent General Secretary Ishwar Pokharel and politburo member Surendra Pandey contested for the post of general secretary. Oli panel’s Pokharel defeated Pandey by a razor-thin margin. Pokharel secured 1,036 votes against Pandey’s 1,030.
For the two posts of deputy general secretary, Ghanashyam Bhusal (1,097) from the Nepal panel and Bishnu Paudel (1082) from the other side have been elected. Earlier, Paudel was secretary and Bhusal was central committee member.

For the five posts of secretary, three candidates from the Nepal panel and two from Oli’s side got elected. Those elected from Nepal’s panel are Gokarna Bista (1,270), Yogesh Bhattarai (1,085) and Bhim Acharya (1,035). The two candidates elected from the Oli panel are Pradeep Gyawali (1,155) and Prithvi Subba Gurung (1,029).

As per the party statute, immediate past chairman Khanal automatically becomes party office bearer with second position after the chairman in the party hierarchy. The party’s practice has it that the nearest rival for the post of party chairperson is nominated as an office bearer by the party central committee.

Immediately after the final results were made public, Nepal in a statement congratulated Oli and other winning candidates for their victory and wished for their successful tenure.

Similarly, candidate for vice-chairperson Pradeep Nepal, candidate for deputy general secretary Shankar Pokharel and candidate for secretary Bishnu Rimal and various other leaders congratulated those who emerged victorious