UML nominates Bhandari as senior leader in Nepal — Kathmandu Post

In Nepal, the central committee of the CPN-UML party has nominated former president Bidya Devi Bhandari for the position of senior leader, placing her second in the party hierarchy after chair Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli. As Kathmandu Post reports, UML’s current statute does not provide for the position of senior leader.

Return to party politics

Bhandari returned to active politics after serving two presidential terms from 2015 to 2023. In June last year, she announced the renewal of her party membership, but the UML central committee subsequently kept her membership suspended. In May this year, the party secretariat reinstated it.

According to UML member Binda Pandey, Bhandari’s new status does not give her voting rights. Pandey said the decision was made on the basis of the party chair’s authority rather than in accordance with its rules and statute. She also questioned the practical significance of a position that is not included in the statute.

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Pressure on leadership after elections

Bhandari’s return to one of the highest positions in the party comes after UML’s unsuccessful result in the parliamentary elections on March 5. Oli lost in the Jhapa-5 constituency, while a number of other senior party figures were also defeated. Following this, calls for changes in the party’s policy, organization, and leadership intensified within UML.

Vice Chair Bishnu Paudel and General Secretary Shankar Pokhrel, in particular, said reforms were needed after the electoral defeat. Pokhrel proposed a system for developing and transferring leadership between generations. A UML official told Kantipur that Oli may use Bhandari’s return in an internal struggle for influence, particularly against Paudel and Pokhrel.

At its statute convention in September 2025, UML abolished the age limit of 70 and the two-term limit for the party chair. In December last year, Oli was elected chair for a third consecutive term. Separately, a meeting of the party’s central office-bearers nominated Ishwar Pokhrel to the Standing Committee; this decision still requires approval by the central committee.