Kathmandu, September 24
The CPN-UML has decided to make former President Bidya Devi Bhandari a senior leader of the party.
A meeting of the party’s Secretariat held on Thursday proposed making Bhandari an honorary senior leader, placing her second in the party hierarchy after Chairman KP Sharma Oli. The proposal will now be presented to the Central Committee for approval.
The decision comes after months of debate within the UML over Bhandari’s return to active party politics.
The party had previously refused to renew Bhandari’s membership, arguing that a person who had served as president and was expected to remain above party politics should not return to active partisan politics.
Following the party’s defeat in the House of Representatives election in March, however, the UML began reviewing its organisational structure and decided in May to open membership for Bhandari.
The latest decision comes as the UML is holding discussions on its organisational restructuring and leadership arrangements. The party’s Central Committee meeting, which has been underway in Lalitpur, is expected to consider the Secretariat’s proposal.
