Ex-prez Bhandari is again a UML Leader

Kathmandu: Bidhya Devi Bhandari, a two-term President of Nepal, is back into party politics.

Breaking the established norms and traditions in a multi-party democracy, Ms Bhandari apparently renewed her party membership that
was dormant when she was the president for seven years till February last, on the Nepali new years day. The news of her renewing the membership had however, been kept a secret all along.

According to the sources in the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist, she took the fresh membership from Kashinath
Adhikary, head of the organistional division of the Party on Baisakh 1.  Adhikary, when contacted by Deshsanchar, however, chose not to
divulge details. “May be she took it when I was away.’ he said, but did not want to speak more on the issue saying he was in a meeting and
too busy to talk.

Bhandari, widow of Madan Bhandari who died over three decades ago in a mysterious road accident when he was the secretary General of the Party, later became Defense Minister. She was vice President of the UML when she was picked as the Presidential candidate after Ram Baran Yadav’s term expired. She held the office for two consecutive terms till February last.

Bhandari had attended a meeting of the Party’s women wing recently, and had been honoured with the ‘Ganatantra Gaurav’ (glory of the
republic) by Party chief K P Oli five weeks ago in a jamboree of the n party’s national leaders.

How and in what way will she be active in politics in the coming days is being watched with curiosity.