Voting to elect new UML leadership starts

The voting for the new UML leadership at the party’s ongoing eighth general convention began in Butwal at 5 pm on Sunday, exactly ten hours behind schedule.

After failing to forge a consensus on the new leadership despite hectic parleys between top UML leaders and the party activists staging fast-unto-death, the party decided to opt for election to fill up the the vacant posts of chairman, vice-chairman, general secretary, secretary including a mammoth 115 central members.

The election committee at the Convention center said there will be 9 lines, 12 booths and 32 ballot boxes for the election.

Earlier, the voting was set to start at 8 am this morning, but the election committee had revised the schedule for the election process.

The committee had said the schedule was changed as the number of candidates filing for nominations was much higher than expected.

However, some UML leaders participating in the event attributed the delay to the last-minute efforts to forge a consensus on the new leadership.

Reports also quoted convention officials as saying that the delay in the election was caused by delay in printing of ballot paper.

Jhala Nath Khanal, KP Sharma Oli and Subodh Raj Pyakurel have filed their nominations for the post of chairman. The main competition is going to be between Khanal and Oli.

Although other leaders filed their nominations independently, they are contesting as a panel.

Bamdev Gautam and Sahana Pradhan from Khanal camp and Ashok Rai, Bidhya Bhandari and Bhim Rawal from Oli camp are contesting for vice-chairman. Another vice-chairman candidate Bharat Mohan Adhikari is supported by both camps.

For general secretary Ishwar Pokhrel from Khanal camp and Pradip Poudel from Oli camp are contesting.

More than 400 candidates are contesting for 115 positions in central committee. The central committee member will comprise of open, zonal and reserved candidates.

Three candidates have been elected UML Central Committee members unopposed till now. Urba Dutta Panta has been elected unopposed from Mahakali zone. Lalit Kumar Basnet has been elected full member and Chuda Mani Jungali has been elected alternate member from the reserved quota for peasants. nepalnews.com ag/ta Feb 22 09

Related News
- UML elections schedule changed