Over eight dozen CPN-UML leaders speaking at the party’s ongoing central committee meeting on Monday voiced concerns over growing factionalism and the rise of competing interest groups in the party.

As the meeting is scheduled to conclude on Tuesday with party chair KP Sharma Oli set to address the concerns raised, leaders have warned that these internal divisions are eroding the party’s strength and undermining public support. As many as 27 central committee members had spoken on Sunday, the first day of the meeting.

On the first day of the meeting, Oli had presented a 47-page political document covering various issues related to the party, government, coalition with Nepali Congress, external relations, and strategies for revitalising both the party and the government.

The party’s central committee meeting is being held amid growing concerns over the decline in the party’s popularity, rise in factionalism, mushrooming interest groups, and deteriorating strength of the party organisation.

At the meeting, party leaders have also raised issues such as relations with the Nepali Congress, the key ruling partner in the government, and growing rivalry with Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the chairman of CPN (Maoist Centre), among others.

Many central committee members have suggested that while the present coalition with Nepali Congress should be strengthened, the party should not make the mistake of contesting the coming elections jointly with the Congress, which has been the UML’s electoral rival since the restoration of the multiparty parliamentary democracy in 1990.

Rajendra Gautam, head of the party's publicity department, said that the ongoing meeting is focussed on discussing and assessing the factionalism inside the party that has extended to lower levels.

“The party’s leadership has got an impression that some interest groups are forming different factions and groups inside the party at different levels to contest elections in ward, local units, provinces, and federal elections,” Gautam said. “But the UML does not have any faction in terms of ideology and organisation per se. There is no alternative to making the party united and strengthening it ideologically.”

Gautam, however, did not name the leaders that were forming groups and factions. But there are widespread speculations that former President Bidya Devi Bhandari is all set to rejoin active politics. Bhandari was the party’s vice-chair before she was elected President in 2015. A group within UML is said to be active in bringing her back to active politics whereas the establishment faction led by chair Oli reportedly wants to stop her from becoming the UML’s chair.

“If the party needs her, Oli will himself reestablish her in active politics,” a UML central committee member said. “At a time when Oli is saying he is not retiring from party politics anytime soon, she [Bhandari] should support him for another term.”

Gautam said most of the leaders have expressed concerns and worries about factionalism inside the party. The party’s senior leaders are “nurturing the toxic tree of factionalism” inside the party, Gautam said.

General Secretary Shankar Pokhrel and vice-chair Bishnu Paudel are especially active in promoting factionalism inside the UML, party leaders said. Oli reportedly has a soft corner towards Pokhrel.

Gautam added that some leaders have stressed strengthening the party’s connection with the people. The party has come up with a proposal to activate its organisation from ward level, targeting the upcoming local, provincial and federal elections.

Meanwhile, some leaders have cautioned that UML is under attack from different sections and elements, so party leaders and cadres should jointly fight back against them.

Another proposal tabled in the meeting suggests gearing up for the upcoming elections and laying out some strategy for that. The proposal that aims to make UML the single largest party from the next elections further suggests reaching out to people at every ward and village to educate them about the party, its policy and ideology.

Moreover, party chair Oli has proposed the implementation of the annual calendar, conducting more schooling and training events, implementing suggestions forwarded by different party departments, countering misinformation and disinformation, making the party’s role in development and good governance more effective, expanding the party’s organisation and strengthening the partnership with Nepali Congress.

According to UML leaders, the party will also seek to expand its membership, conduct elections to the party's leadership at different levels, maintain the chain of command inside the party, end factionalism, change the working style of party cadres and effectively manage the party's organisation in order to establish the party as a decisive national force in the forthcoming elections.

At the meeting, no one criticised the functioning of the government, according to leader Bishnu Rijal. “Most of the speakers praised some of the good works of the government like signing the cooperation framework for the Belt and Road Initiative with China last month,” Rijal said. “Relations with India have become stable. The signing of the BRI agreement has opened a new avenue of development cooperation. And relationship with Nepali Congress in the government is going smoothly,” Rijal quoted UML leaders as saying.

But, he added, many speakers raised concerns about rumours that the Nepali Congress and UML will contest the forthcoming elections jointly. “We must not forget the Congress and UML are the major stakeholders in bringing about big changes in the country since 1990,” the party leaders said, according to Rijal. “But they have always been contesting elections independently, so they should not make the mistake of contesting elections jointly.”

Meanwhile, several speakers vented their ire against Maoist Centre chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who, they said, has shown his opportunistic face and behaviour time and again. “Sometimes he was used by foreign powers, sometimes he used the Congress and sometimes the UML,” Rijal said. “Sometimes Congress used him and sometimes the UML. He is currently the most unreliable Nepali politician, so UML should refrain from joining hands with the Maoists again.”

Rijal added that some speakers also urged the leadership to introduce programmes to stop the exodus of youths and students to foreign lands, revive the ailing economy, and introduce projects to boost skills, entrepreneurship and productivity at the local level.