गाउँको दूरदराजदेखि काठमाडौंको सिंहदरबारसम्म

It seems that CPN(US) has been in crisis recently. Dissatisfied with Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal’s performance and decisions, many party members withdraw from CPN(US) and rejoined their mother party CPN(UML).At the same time, a lot of internal contradictions in this party are also gradually intensified. Hope of making CPN(UML) great again is emerging. Will KP Oli seize the opportunity and recreate a broad left front? 

Internal conflicts in CPN(US) are intensified and expanded

A consensus is said to be achieved among Nepal, Deuba and Dahal to take turns serving as PM during the 5 years.  That’s why Nepal insists on remaining in the current ruling coalition to secure his one-year premiership. In contrast, another senior leader Jhala Nath Khanal wishes to join hands with leftist parties, rather than Nepali Congress, which is also aspirations of most members in CPN(US). Most cadres of the party prefer to stand with leftist strength, but Nepal seems to stick on his own idea. However, Nepal is too stubborn to change his mind.

Loss in the last general election is the last straw to caught the party in trouble. Though joined the ruling coalition, CPN(US) is not qualified as a national party as it only gained 10 seats in the House of representatives and 25 seats in provincial assemblies. According to resigned members, the main reason for their choice is grievance against the Chairman. Nepal has been criticized for being keen on PM position, being grovelling to the Maoist and Nepali Congress party and making compromises in the coalition rather than gaining more pragmatic profits for his own party. Furthermore, the nepotism of Nepal is extremely criticized inside the party as his nominations on some key positions is unreasonable.

CPN(Unified Socialist), founded in August 2021, had a number of 136,000 members nationwide then. It participated in the 2022 general election, and formed a ruling coalition with Maoist Center and Nepali Congress.

CPN(US) face risk of dissolution as members withdrawing 

Mukunda Neupane, who comes third in the party hierarchy after Nepal and Khanal, has been giving public favour of left political parties. Neupane has presented a 33-point dissent at the party’s central committee meeting, hoping a broader left union including UML. Besides, he pointed out that Unified Socialist would be trapped in larger mess if it continued to remain in the congress-led alliance. However, all these suggestions were ignored by Chairman Nepal. In April, Neupane declared his withdraw from the party and returned to UML. On the press meet of quitting, he said the party is trapped in the quagmire of ruling coalition, blaming that Nepal’s decisions didn’t safeguard the rights of the party.

In June, the CPN-US vice chair Kedar Lal Shrestha and Standing Committee member Chudamani Jangali resigned from Unified Socialist. Later central committee members Hira Chandra KC and Sharada Swarnakar tendered their resignations and went back to UML. As for grass root level, in April, all committee members in Dang District constituency 1 rejoined UML, and in July, as many as 25 members including the party’s Tanahun district chair returned to old party.

Oli is taking positive measures for UML reunification

CPN-UML has been meticulously attracting cadres back to mother party. For this reason, the party canceled the age restriction for senior leaders to bring more cadres back. After canceling the age limit, Mukunda Neupane, age 73, was nominated as a member of central committee. CPN (unity National Campaign) chair Bamdev Gautam, former UML senior leader, nearly 80, is also planning to return to UML.

In this situation, CPN-UML has a higher possibility of rejoining hands with former splitting parties, but the key point is that whether Madhav Kumar Nepal will change his stubborn mind or not.