KATHMANDU, Jan 19: Lingering resentment from the CPN-UML’s 11th General Convention has spilt into the party’s ticket distribution for the House of Representatives (HoR) elections, with leaders who stood against KP Sharma Oli effectively barred from contesting.
The party leadership has sidelined central leaders who backed Ishwar Pokhrel—Oli’s rival for the party chair—while selecting candidates for direct elections. In what appears to be an attempt to settle convention-era scores, district-level recommendations were ignored, and leaders with strong grassroots bases were denied tickets.
When the Central Secretariat meeting on Saturday finalized candidates for 140 constituencies, dissatisfaction erupted across the party. Discontent was not limited to Pokhrel-aligned leaders; even figures from Oli’s own camp, despite having strong electoral prospects in their constituencies, were left out.
Although the UML had announced its intention to field new faces, the decision backfired after candidates with little public recognition and no geographical responsibility were nominated. Leaders from Oli’s faction, including Niru Pal and Kiran Paudel, failed to secure tickets. Niraj Shahi and Bishnu Rijal were also denied nominations, even though Rijal had received the highest votes in geographical voting. Rijal later remarked that while he had won the confidence of party cadres, he failed to win over the leadership.
Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal, who lost in Morang in the previous election, has now been fielded from Tehrathum. Sources claim the Central Secretariat nominated Dhakal there to block Bijay Subba.
Pokhrel himself, along with Surendra Pandey and Parshuram Meghi Gurung—candidates from his camp for general secretary and vice-chair respectively—also failed to receive tickets.
UML to hold district convention on January 7
Similarly, Binda Pandey and Arun Nepal were left out. Among Pokhrel-aligned office-bearers, only Vice-chair Gokarna Bista secured a ticket. The constituency of Deputy General Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai has been kept on “hold.”
Baijnath Chaudhary, who contested for deputy general secretary, was also denied a ticket. Other Pokhrel camp leaders—Rachana Khadka, Karna Thapa, Thakur Gaire, Indralal Sapkota, and Purushottam Poudel—are absent from the candidate list as well. Kavre Constituency-2, represented by Gokul Baskota, has also been kept on hold. Sources say Baskota is being blocked for opposing Oli during the general convention.
Although the Secretariat decided on Saturday to nominate Vice-chair Bishnu Paudel from Palpa Constituency-2, he was shifted on Sunday to Rupandehi Constituency-2, where he had previously contested.
Several other leaders from the Pokhrel camp—including Ganesh Pahadi, Jhapat Rawal, Mahesh Basnet (Ilam), Jay Rai, Krishna Rai, Amir Babu Gurung, Man Bahadur Gurung, Ratna Gautam, Nawaraj Silwal, and Bal Krishna Subedi—also failed to secure tickets. In Jhapa, a decision to nominate Manoj Tamli from LP Sawa’s constituency was later revised, with the ticket ultimately going to Sawa himself.
The UML leadership now faces accusations of violating its own declared selection criteria. The UML Okhaldhunga district committee has announced it will not participate in the election, citing arbitrary candidate selection by the center.
Among the party’s declared candidates, only nine are women. The leadership has also been accused of nominating candidates in ways that could indirectly benefit opponents in constituencies where the UML has strong winning prospects.
The party has nominated former ministers Bhagwati Chaudhary, Juli Kumari Mahato, Jwala Kumari Sah, Bhagwati Neupane, and Bimala BK from their home districts. Chaudhary is contesting from Sunsari-4, Mahato from Dhanusha-3, Sah from Bara-3, Neupane from Tanahun-1, and BK from Bardiya-2.
Similarly, Kamala Bohora has been nominated from Kanchanpur-1, Manju Sharma Chalise from Baglung-2, Ashmita Thapa from Okhaldhunga-2, and Kalpana Rai from Solukhumbu.
The UML has also nominated Chakre Milan (Milan Gurung), a controversial figure with a background linked to criminal activities, from Gorkha-2. In the previous election, former CPN (Maoist Centre) chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal won the seat. The Nepal Communist Party has nominated Lekhnath Neupane from the constituency, while the Rastriya Swatantra Party is preparing to field Kabindra Burlakoti.
‘Note of Dissent’ registered
Deputy General Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai has formally registered his dissent in writing, alleging discrimination in candidate selection. Bhattarai, who objected to the ticket distribution during the Secretariat meeting, submitted a “note of dissent” at the party office on Sunday.
According to sources, Bhattarai listed his objections in bullet points, citing violations of selection criteria, favoritism, and injustice toward party cadres.
No final decision has yet been made regarding Bhattarai’s own constituency of Taplejung. Addressing supporters on social media, he urged them not to be demoralized.
“I request everyone not to be disheartened by the decision. I call on all to work actively, from your respective positions and capacities, with even higher morale and unity to ensure the victory of CPN-UML candidates,” he wrote. “Our journey is long and glorious.”
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