As the CPN (Maoist Centre) gears up to bring Nanda Bahadur Pun, Nepal’s two-term former Vice-president, into active party politics, the move has reignited the longstanding debate over whether former Presidents and Vice Presidents should rejoin politics.

Earlier, former President Bidya Devi Bhandari was said to be considering returning to active politics, but this has yet to materialise. Bhandari relinquished her party role as vice chair when she became the country’s first female President.

According to Maoist Centre leaders, the party is also considering involving Amik Sherchan, a former provincial head, in active politics.

Sherchan, however, said the party is yet to discuss the matter with him. “Whether people who have previously held constitutional positions like President, Vice President, and Provincial head can join active politics should be decided only after a vigorous debate,” Sherchan said.

“You occupy the constitutional position by relinquishing party membership. So after completing your constitutional role, should you be allowed to return to the party’s fold?” Sherchan told the Post. “What precedent do we want to set? We need to consider these questions.”

While Sherchan says there has been no official discussion on his return to active politics, Pun, the former Vice-president, claims that he has already rejoined his former party.

According to Maoist Centre leaders, Pun has been participating in many party functions and events, and a formal announcement will soon be made.

There are multiple examples of leaders returning to politics after completing their tenures in high state offices. But a Maoist Centre leader says this should not be allowed in the case of former Presidents, Vice-presidents, or even Provincial heads.

“If we make such decisions, other political parties could follow suit, which may backfire for our party in the long run,” the leader said on the condition of anonymity.

The leader believes such a practice should be discouraged to preserve the democratic spirit even though the constitution does not explicitly prohibit it.

A section of the Maoist Centre also believes that by bringing back Pun, party chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who of late has enjoyed good relations with former President Bidya Devi Bhandari, is trying to facilitate her return to the CPN-UML.

“Former President Bhandari, who is trying to return to active politics, however, is facing hurdles, as her possible return came to be widely criticised, including by UML leaders,” another Maoist Centre leader said on the condition of anonymity. “Bringing back Pun, who was Vice-President when Bhandari was the President, can smoothen her way into the party politics.”

If Bhandari rejoins active politics and becomes the UML head, Dahal might consider unifying the Maoist Centre and the UML, as happened in 2018. The Nepal Communist Party, born of the merger, split in 2021.

However, Maoist Centre Secretary Ram Karki says when people are clamouring for new faces in politics, old faces rejoining politics will be meaningless.

“Even a unification of the UML and Maoist Centre will have no impact on the communist movement, as neither party is truly communist anymore,” Karki said.

Mahesh Bartaula, the UML chief whip, says it is up to the respective former President or Vice-President to make the call, as there is no constitutional bar.

“That being the case, I also need no need for one former politician to facilitate the re-entry into politics of another former politician,” Bartaula said.

Maoist Centre politburo member Yubraj Chaulagain denies that the party is considering bringing back Pun into active politics in order to help Bhandari. But he believes that should the party make such a decision, it could set a bad precedent.

“The Maoist Centre should not make such decisions that could have long-term repercussions for the party,” Chaulagain told the Post. “Other parties could benefit from the Maoist Centre's decision by using it as a justification for similar moves that may be unpopular or controversial, but serve their own interests.”

Chaulagain said there had been no such discussions in the party on the issue.

Bhandari and Pun became the country’s President and Vice-President soon after the promulgation of the constitution in 2015. They held their positions for almost seven years before Ram Chandra Paudel and Ram Saya Yadav, respectively, succeeded them in early 2023.

Nepal’s Constitution does not explicitly bar a former head of state from engaging in active politics after leaving office. However, constitutional experts say this is a matter of moral ethics.

“In other countries, former heads and deputy heads of state do not return to active politics. It is a question of ethics,” Raman Shrestha, a former attorney general, said.

But some Maoist leaders believe Dahal is trying to bring Pun into active politics to strengthen his own position in the party.

Deputy general secretaries Barshaman Pun and Janardan Sharma, who used to be stalwarts of Dahal, have now become harsh critics of the party leader. They even questioned Dahal's working style and raised the issue of leadership transfer within the party.

Maoist Centre chair Dahal has long been navigating internal conflicts, using strategic manoeuvres to maintain control. Earlier, he played rivals Baburam Bhattarai and Mohan Baidya against each other.

When Bahattrai and Baidya left the party, Dahal played Barshaman and Janardhan against each other, but this too did not last. During the party’s standing committee meeting in August, deputy general secretary Barshaman and Janardhan stood against the party chair.

A Maoist leader said that to counter the growing challenge within the party, Dahal is considering giving former Vice-preisdent Pun an important role. The possibility is that former vice-president Pun will be given the role of senior-vice-president, said the leader.

“Chairman Dahal does not want to lose the majority in the party. He is trying to gain control in various ways, including by bringing back Pun and Amik Sherchan,” another party leader said on the condition of anonymity.