Jhapa, Nov 28: The race to select delegates ahead of UML’s 11th general convention has heated up in Koshi, the home turf of party chief KP Sharma Oli and former President Bidya Devi Bhandari.
Of the province’s 14 districts, only Solukhumbu has agreed on delegates unanimously. The rest of the 13 districts are heading for internal elections on Saturday after consensus efforts largely failed. Solukhumbu chose six delegates by agreement, including Buddhi Kumar Rajbhandari and Mohan Kumari Karki.
Across other districts, the competition is fierce. The two factions in Koshi – the establishment led by Oli and the senior vice-president Ishwar Pokhrel’s camp – are engaged in a tough, unofficial face-off, insiders say.
UML Koshi Province chief Ghanshyam Khatri confirmed efforts for consensus will continue until Friday midnight. “Where agreement fails, delegates will be chosen through democratic voting on Saturday,” he said. Leaders, however, note that outside Solukhumbu, the battlefield is wide open with panels already formed in several districts.
The toughest clashes are in Oli’s home district Jhapa and Bhandari’s Morang. In Morang alone, 145 candidates are vying for 46 delegate spots, covering open, women, Dalit, and youth categories, according to UML Morang vice-president Sagar Thapa.
Party insiders say Pokhrel loyalists Yogesh Bhattarai and Vinod Dhakal have mobilized strong panels, while Oli’s establishment counters with Sherdhan Rai, Hikmat Karki, and Guru Baral leading the charge. In Dhankuta, rival panels led by Indramani Parajuli and Rajendra Rai further highlight factional divides, though both claim allegiance to Oli.
The delegate election across Koshi is shaping up as a mini-battle ahead of the convention, testing the balance of power for Oli’s anticipated third-term leadership. The UML’s 11th general convention is scheduled from December 13-15 in Kathmandu.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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