KATHMANDU, Feb 24: Jhala Nath Khanal has maintained lead over his rival KP Sharma Oli for the post of chairman of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) in the election held at the party´s 8th general convention in Butwal on Sunday. [break]
“My win is 100 percent confirmed,” Khanal told journalists at the convention venue on Tuesday morning. “It’s just a question of the margin of victory – whether it will be in double digit or in triple.” Khanal also said that he met Oli in the morning and discussed taking the party forward by ensuring internal democracy.
“This (election) exercise is in itself important,” he said, adding that he is feeling more responsible as counting results file in. “I am thinking of how to restructure and reorganize the party.” Correspondent of dainikee.com, Tilak Pathak, said from the convention venue that Khanal sounded more confident and said he was feeling more responsible. Khala also told journalists that the party would give former party chief Madhav Kumar Nepal, who had backed Oli in the election, "appropriate respect" within the party if he was elected.
Khanal added that the democratic election has further consolidated the party. He added that UML won´t engage in toppling the government, rather will try to bring the main opposition, Nepali Congress, onboard.
On the other hand, according to journalist Pathak, Khanal´s rival, Oli, told journalists Tuesday morning that he was tricked at the "last moment" without elaborating. "I will tell everything once the final results are out," said Oli.
Meanwhile, Khanal continues to dominate the race for UML leadership since the counting of 1793 ballots started at about 11 a.m. on Monday. However, the race is too tight, as Oli is following Khanal very closely.
Except for once Monday evening, Khanal has been ahead all along. Both the leaders, talking to journalists in the venue of the eighth national convention of the party that was to be over on February 21, said on Monday that they were confident of their win. Oli went one step ahead and said he would beat Khanal with the margin of 150 to 200 votes.
According to election committee officials, the final results can be expected late Tuesday afternoon, if not evening. Though those following the UML politics and the ongoing convention closely are enraged at the slow pace of election process, there is nothing the election officials could do as the ballot papers are too long.
On an average, each UML delegate to the convention had taken 20 minutes to cast his/her ballot. Now, counting of each ballot paper (which is six-page long) takes about the same amount of time. Initially, there was only one counting center. Later, it was increased to five, and then 10.
This election and the UML convention have been observed very closely because the leader, who emerges from the convention, has a huge role to play in the national politics. This is also because there are Oli and Khanal, two diametrically opposite candidates, in the fray.
Oli is considered to be very much opposed to Maoists and UML’s participation in the Maoist-led government, while Khanal is close to Maoists. Oli is a strong proponent of People’s Multiparty Democracy propounded by former UML chief Madan Bhandari, while Khanal wants to review (“update” in his own words) it.
The election results coming out in last 10 hours show that whoever wins the race, it looks like the margin won’t be too high.
tilak@myrepublica.com
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