Pokhrel Declares Candidacy to Challenge Oli for UML Chairmanship

Kathmandu — Senior Vice-Chairman Ishwar Pokhrel of Communist Party of Nepal -Unified Marxist Leninist has officially announced his candidacy for the party’s top post at the upcoming 11th National General Convention.

The announcement came during a Secretariat meeting held on Thursday at the UML headquarters in Chyasal. According to sources, Pokhrel used the occasion to deliver a forceful critique of party leader K.P. Sharma Oli, calling for a more democratic and collaborative style of leadership.

Pokhrel, who enjoys the backing of several prominent party figures  including Vice-Chairs Yubaraj Gyawali, Asta Laxmi Shakya, and Surendra Pandey, and secretaries Gokarna Bista and Yogesh Bhattarai. He has said he is ready to lead the party into a new era.

He emphasized moral integrity and organizational reform in his speech, arguing that the UML needs to renew itself. “I believe not in power, but in law, coordination, collectivity and cooperation,” Pokhrel said, according to party insiders.

In response, Oli remarked that competition is part of a healthy democratic process. He has previously said that any qualified leader should be free to contest the chairmanship.

The stakes are high: at the 11th General Convention, scheduled for Mangsir 27–29 in Kathmandu, various key leadership positions will be contested, including chair, three vice-chairs, general secretary, and other central committee posts.

Observers note that Pokhrel’s bid signals a serious internal challenge to Oli, who has recently consolidated his power by amending party statutes to remove age and term limits.