Party Chairman Jhalanath Khanal and members close to him are for firmly adhering to the party´s July 20 decision not to vote for any candidate failing to line up a two-thirds majority. [break]
But another faction led by caretaker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and KP Sharma Oli is for convening a central committee (CC) meeting to reconsider the decision in the changed context.
Oli on Saturday criticized the party leadership for not convening the CC meeting at such a crucial time. "The CC meeting, which was postponed earlier, has been further delayed. While a meeting is crucial for taking an important decision, the UML leadership is shying away from holding it," he said at a function.
Oli, known as an arch-rival of party Chairman Khanal, saw an intention to avoid the meeting and smelt a rat. "It has raised suspicion that in deferring the CC meeting the leadership might be trying to do something wrong," he said.
But party Secretary Yuvraj Gyawali, who is close to Khanal, said there is no need to call a meeting as the UML has already taken a decision on the matter. "Our CC has already taken a decision not to vote any candidate failing to line up a two-thirds majority and we won´t budge," Gyawali said.
While the Khanal-led faction insists on voting for whichever leader can forge a national consensus in his favor, the other leaders are for supporting a NC candidate to give continuity to the present democratic coalition headed by the NC and UML.
Nepal, who proposed Khanal as the UML candidate in the first-round voting in parliament, withdrew his proposal as per the party decision since Khanal failed to garner 401 votes in the 601-seat parliament.
In the first round voting, the UCPN (Maoist) had claimed it would vote for Khanal if that would help him garner a two-thirds majority. Ever since, the Khanal faction has had a soft corner for the Maoists, but Oli has clearly ruled out any possibility of voting for Dahal.
"UML will not support the Maoists. Our lawmakers will not vote for them. Moreover, we will convince the other parties as well to not vote for the Maoists. UML policy is very clear not to accept the Maoists´ leadership until they completely renounce violence," Oli said.
He, however, indicated that UML might reconsider its decision once the party convenes its CC meeting and vote for the NC candidate. "We haven´t said we will not vote for any other [than UML] candidate. But the meaning of the July 20 decision is we will not cast our vote in the present context."
He meant that UML lawmakers can cast their votes in the changed context as parliament has failed to elect a prime minister even after two rounds of voting.
Meanwhile, at a separate function, party Vice-chairman Bamdev Gautam, who is close to Khanal, said the party should take action against leaders who speak against the party decision.
He is for standing firmly in favor of voting whichever candidate can prove a two-thirds majority in parliament. "Chairman Khanal is the appropriate candidate for that," he claimed.
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