Basnet, Acharya vie for top YAN post

BUTWAL, Feb 24: As efforts to forge consensus on new leadership of CPN-UML´s youth wing Youth Association Nepal (YAN) couldn´t materialize, the sitting chairman of the organization Mahesh Basnet and General Secretary Neeraj Acharya are vying for YAN presidency.



Around 1,500 representatives, who have gathered in Butwal to attend YAN general convention from across the country, have been divided into two panels led by Basnet and Acharya and have intensified their respective campaigns. Acharya is close to party chairman Jhalanath Khanal while Basnet is loyal to party heavyweight KP Sharma Oli.[break]



The sitting vice-president Jhapat Rawal, who had earlier announced to vie for the top post, announced to support Basnet on Saturday. Rawal, who is close to the party´s top leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, decided to try a repeat in the same post after former Prime Minister Nepal and Oli held a meeting in Butwal and reached a deal on forging an alliance between the two -- Basnet and Rawal -- factions in the election.



UML Central Committee member Bhanubhakta Dhakal, who is lobbying in favor of Basnet, said Rawal has decided to withdraw his candidacy and support Basnet.



Earlier, party leaders Gokarna Bista, Ghanashyam Bhusal and Thakur Gaire had been working to forge an alliance between Acharya and Rawal factions but their attempt failed after Nepal-Oli deal.



The Basnet panel has decided to field Rawal, Dilu Pant and Surya Dhakal for the posts of vice-presidents and Rajiv Pahari for the post of general secretary. Similarly, the Acharya panel has announced to field Parvati KC for the post of vice-president and Baburam Acharya for general secretary. The Acharya panel has yet to finalize other candidates.



Leaders and representatives from Acharya panel including party leaders Bista, Bhusal and Gaire were holding a separate gathering at local Siddhartha Cottage until late Saturday evening with a view to set the panel´s new strategies in the context of Rawal supporting Basnet.



While the youth leaders and representatives have intensified their campaign in favor of their respective panels, the election committee is making all preparations to conduct votes for Sunday.



YAN will elect a 137-member central executive committee from the general convention.



Key party leaders have taken the election among youth leaders as their prestige issue as the youth wing is one of the influential arms of the party.

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