National
UML expands apex body
The CPN-UML has expanded the Standing Committee (SC), the apex body of the party, by nominating five more senior leaders.A meeting of the party’s Central Committee on Friday decided to induct former Secretary Shankar Pokharel, leaders Surendra Pandey, Kiran Gurung, Chabbi Lal Bishwokarma and Satya Narayan Mandal to the panel.
The new faces are said to have been picked to make the party inclusive and adjust those who were defeated in the party’s general convention held in July.
Pokharel, who contested from Oli panel for the post of deputy general secretary during the general convention, was defeated by Pandey, a leader close to former party chief Madhav Kumar Nepal. Bishwokarma and Mandal were brought to the committee as representatives from Dalit and Madhesi communities.
Earlier, the body had only 17 members, including former party chief and veteran communist leader Mukunda Neupane. Now, panel has 22 members, including two women, two others from the Gurung community and one each from the Madhesi and Dalit communities.
UML statue has a provision to name all the office bearers as SC members. As per the provision, Oli supporting office bearers—Vice-chairperson Bidhya Bhandari, Bam Dev Gautam, General Secretary Ishwor Pokharel, Deputy General Secretary Bishnu Poudel, and Secretaries Prithivi Subba Gurung and Pradeep Gyawali—were named SC members. From the Nepal faction, Vice-chairpersons Bhim Rawal, Yubaraj Gyawali and Asta Laxmi Shakya, Deputy General Secretary Ghanshyam Bhusal, Secretaries Yogesh Bhattarai, Gokarna Bista and Bhim Achaya secured their posts in the party’s highest body.
Party leaders said party Chairman KP Sharma Oli, after consultation with senior leaders, is expected to appoint one more member to the
committee.