KATHMANDU, Dec 18: The 11th General Convention of the CPN-UML concluded with the election of its central leadership, reaffirming KP Sharma Oli as the party chairperson. Oli secured 1,663 votes, defeating his only rival Ishwor Pokhrel, who garnered 564 votes.
In the race for vice-chairpersons, five leaders were elected to the top positions: Prithvi Subba Gurung (1,737 votes), Vishnu Prasad Paudel (1,675), Rambahadur Thapa Badal (1,516), Gokarna Raj Bista (1,368), and Raghuji Pant (1,258).
Chair Oli's three pillars in UML
Shankar Pokhrel was elected as the party’s General Secretary with 1,228 votes, overcoming Surendra Prasad Pandey, who received 999 votes.
The three deputy general secretaries elected include Lekhraj Bhatt (1,452 votes), Raghuvir Mahaseth (1,368), and Yogesh Bhattarai (1,348), while Bishnu Prasad Rimal, Baijnath Chaudhary, Anand Prasad Pokhrel and Rajendra Prasad Gautam were unsuccessful.
The convention also elected nine secretaries to the central committee. The elected leaders are Mahesh Basnet (1,544 votes), Padma Kumari Aryal (1,530), Chhabi Lal Bishwakarma (1,506), Sherdhan Rai (1,503), Hikmat Kumar Karki (1,337), Khagaraj Adhikari (1,231), Yamalal Kandel (1,185), Rajan Bhattarai (1,181) and Bhanubhakta Dhakal (1,108). Several other candidates, including Gokul Prasad Baskota and Thakur Prasad Gaire, were not elected.
The elections conducted at Bhrikutimandap reflect a consolidation of leadership within the party as Oli’s faction retained strong influence across key positions. Party members and political observers say the newly elected leadership is expected to steer the UML through upcoming national elections and internal organizational reforms.
