"Selection Committee"

#13161301

6 January 2026

Former Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli (Center) arrives at the party office to chair the meeting of the party secretariat in Nepal on January 6, 2026. CPN-UML forms a manifesto drafting committee for the upcoming House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5. The decision is made during the party's Secretariat meeting with Chairperson KP Sharma Oli leading the committee. The committee includes former Senior Vice-Chairman Ishwar Pokharel, who is defeated by Oli in the party leadership contest. According to Deputy General Secretary Lekhraj Bhatta, the manifesto drafting committee comprises Vice-Chairmen Ram Bahadur Thapa and Bishnu Paudel, General Secretary Shankar Pokharel, Central Committee members Ishwar Pokharel and Pradeep Gyawali, as well as Bishnu Rimal.

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#13161302

6 January 2026

Mohan Basnet, the close aide of former Nepali Prime Minister and Chairman of CPN-UML, KP Sharma Oli, attends the party's secretariat meeting on January 6, 2026. CPN-UML forms a manifesto drafting committee for the upcoming House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5. The decision is made during the party's Secretariat meeting with Chairperson KP Sharma Oli leading the committee. The committee includes former Senior Vice-Chairman Ishwar Pokharel, who is defeated by Oli in the party leadership contest. According to Deputy General Secretary Lekhraj Bhatta, the manifesto drafting committee comprises Vice-Chairmen Ram Bahadur Thapa and Bishnu Paudel, General Secretary Shankar Pokharel, Central Committee members Ishwar Pokharel and Pradeep Gyawali, as well as Bishnu Rimal.

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#13161303

6 January 2026

Leaders of the CPN-UML attend the party secretariat meeting held at the party office in Lalitpur, Nepal, on January 6, 2026. CPN-UML forms a manifesto drafting committee for the upcoming House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5. The decision is made during the party's Secretariat meeting with Chairperson KP Sharma Oli leading the committee. The committee includes former Senior Vice-Chairman Ishwar Pokharel, who is defeated by Oli in the party leadership contest. According to Deputy General Secretary Lekhraj Bhatta, the manifesto drafting committee comprises Vice-Chairmen Ram Bahadur Thapa and Bishnu Paudel, General Secretary Shankar Pokharel, Central Committee members Ishwar Pokharel and Pradeep Gyawali, as well as Bishnu Rimal.

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#13161304

6 January 2026

Leaders of the CPN-UML attend the party secretariat meeting held at the party office in Lalitpur, Nepal, on January 6, 2026. CPN-UML forms a manifesto drafting committee for the upcoming House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5. The decision is made during the party's Secretariat meeting with Chairperson KP Sharma Oli leading the committee. The committee includes former Senior Vice-Chairman Ishwar Pokharel, who is defeated by Oli in the party leadership contest. According to Deputy General Secretary Lekhraj Bhatta, the manifesto drafting committee comprises Vice-Chairmen Ram Bahadur Thapa and Bishnu Paudel, General Secretary Shankar Pokharel, Central Committee members Ishwar Pokharel and Pradeep Gyawali, as well as Bishnu Rimal.

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#13161305

6 January 2026

Former Nepali Prime Minister and Chairman of CPN-UML, KP Sharma Oli, chairs the meeting of the party secretariat on January 6, 2026. CPN-UML forms a manifesto drafting committee for the upcoming House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5. The decision is made during the party's Secretariat meeting with Chairperson KP Sharma Oli leading the committee. The committee includes former Senior Vice-Chairman Ishwar Pokharel, who is defeated by Oli in the party leadership contest. According to Deputy General Secretary Lekhraj Bhatta, the manifesto drafting committee comprises Vice-Chairmen Ram Bahadur Thapa and Bishnu Paudel, General Secretary Shankar Pokharel, Central Committee members Ishwar Pokharel and Pradeep Gyawali, as well as Bishnu Rimal.

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#13161306

6 January 2026

Leaders of the CPN-UML attend the party secretariat meeting held at the party office in Lalitpur, Nepal, on January 6, 2026. CPN-UML forms a manifesto drafting committee for the upcoming House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5. The decision is made during the party's Secretariat meeting with Chairperson KP Sharma Oli leading the committee. The committee includes former Senior Vice-Chairman Ishwar Pokharel, who is defeated by Oli in the party leadership contest. According to Deputy General Secretary Lekhraj Bhatta, the manifesto drafting committee comprises Vice-Chairmen Ram Bahadur Thapa and Bishnu Paudel, General Secretary Shankar Pokharel, Central Committee members Ishwar Pokharel and Pradeep Gyawali, as well as Bishnu Rimal.

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#13161299

6 January 2026

Shankar Pokharel, General Secretary of CPN-UML, attends the party's secretariat meeting at the party office in Lalitpur, Nepal, on January 6, 2026. CPN-UML forms a manifesto drafting committee for the upcoming House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5. The decision is made during the party's Secretariat meeting with Chairperson KP Sharma Oli leading the committee. The committee includes former Senior Vice-Chairman Ishwar Pokharel, who is defeated by Oli in the party leadership contest. According to Deputy General Secretary Lekhraj Bhatta, the manifesto drafting committee comprises Vice-Chairmen Ram Bahadur Thapa and Bishnu Paudel, General Secretary Shankar Pokharel, Central Committee members Ishwar Pokharel and Pradeep Gyawali, as well as Bishnu Rimal.

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#13161300

6 January 2026

Shankar Pokharel, General Secretary of CPN-UML, chats with former secretary of the party Gokarna Bista in the premises of the party office in Lalitpur, Nepal, on January 6, 2026. CPN-UML forms a manifesto drafting committee for the upcoming House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5. The decision is made during the party's Secretariat meeting with Chairperson KP Sharma Oli leading the committee. The committee includes former Senior Vice-Chairman Ishwar Pokharel, who is defeated by Oli in the party leadership contest. According to Deputy General Secretary Lekhraj Bhatta, the manifesto drafting committee comprises Vice-Chairmen Ram Bahadur Thapa and Bishnu Paudel, General Secretary Shankar Pokharel, Central Committee members Ishwar Pokharel and Pradeep Gyawali, as well as Bishnu Rimal.

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#13161313

6 January 2026

Former Deputy Prime Minister Prakash Man Singh arrives at the party office in Lalitpur, Nepal, on January 6, 2026. Dissent arises within the party, with the majority of the party central committee members claiming attempts to hold the party hostage by not holding the special convention ahead of the March polls. The party also is not able to convene the Central Working Committee meeting as per the schedule.

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#13161314

6 January 2026

Senior Nepali Congress Leader Shashanka Koirala arrives at the party office in Lalitpur, Nepal, on January 6, 2026. Dissent arises within the party, with the majority of the party central committee members claiming attempts to hold the party hostage by not holding the special convention ahead of the March polls. The party also is not able to convene the Central Working Committee meeting as per the schedule.

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#13161307

6 January 2026

Senior Nepali Congress Leader Bimalendra Nidhi arrives at the party office in Lalitpur, Nepal, on January 6, 2026. Dissent arises within the party, with the majority of the party central committee members claiming attempts to hold the party hostage by not holding the special convention ahead of the March polls. The party also is not able to convene the Central Working Committee meeting as per the schedule.

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#13161312

6 January 2026

Acting President of the Nepali Congress, Purna Bahadur Khadka, arrives at the party office in Lalitpur, Nepal, on January 6, 2026. Dissents are raised within the party, with a majority of the party central committee members claiming attempts to hold the party hostage by not holding the special convention ahead of the March polls. The party is also not able to convene the Central Working Committee meeting as per the schedule.

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#13161315

6 January 2026

Gagan Kumar Thapa, General Secretary of the Nepali Congress, arrives at the party office in Lalitpur, Nepal, on January 6, 2026. Dissent arises within the party, with the majority of the party central committee members claiming attempts to hold the party hostage by not holding the special convention ahead of the March polls. The party also is not able to convene the Central Working Committee meeting as per the schedule.

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#13161316

6 January 2026

Gagan Kumar Thapa, General Secretary of the Nepali Congress, arrives at the party office in Lalitpur, Nepal, on January 6, 2026. Dissent arises within the party, with the majority of the party central committee members claiming attempts to hold the party hostage by not holding the special convention ahead of the March polls. The party also is not able to convene the Central Working Committee meeting as per the schedule.

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#13103528

16 December 2025

Contesting leaders from the CPN-UML for various posts, including the party chairmanship, KP Sharma Oli (center in black jacket) and Ishwar Pokhrel (center in blue with red scarf), chat during the ongoing general convention of the party in Kathmandu, Nepal, on December 16, 2025. The contest for the new leadership of CPN-UML (Communist Party of Nepal- Unified Marxist Leninist) intensifies as incumbent chairman KP Sharma Oli and senior vice-chairman Ishwar Pokharel face each other with separate panels. As per the published list by the party's election committee, incumbent chairman KP Sharma Oli and senior vice-chairman Ishwar Pokharel file their candidacies for the chairmanship. Candidates also register from their respective panels as well as independently for other office-bearer positions and central committee membership. Under the party's amended statute, there are five vice-chairperson posts, for which 11 candidates file nominations. For the nine Secretary positions, 20 candidates contest. Additionally, more than 1,000 candidates file nominations for central committee membership from various geographical areas and sectors.

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#13103553

16 December 2025

KP Sharma Oli, former Nepali Prime Minister and incumbent chair of the CPN-UML (Communist Party of Nepal- Unified Marxist Leninist), attends the general convention of the party in Kathmandu, Nepal, on December 16, 2025. The contest for the new leadership of CPN-UML (Communist Party of Nepal- Unified Marxist Leninist) intensifies as incumbent chairman KP Sharma Oli and senior vice-chairman Ishwar Pokharel face each other with separate panels. As per the published list by the party's election committee, incumbent chairman KP Sharma Oli and senior vice-chairman Ishwar Pokharel file their candidacies for the chairmanship. Candidates are also registered from their respective panels as well as independently for other office-bearer positions and central committee membership. Under the party's amended statute, there are five vice-chairperson posts, for which 11 candidates file nominations. For the nine Secretary positions, 20 candidates contest. Additionally, more than 1,000 candidates file nominations for central committee membership from various geographical areas and sectors.

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