Kathmandu. In th party congress of CPN UML, voting for the various positions of the party central committee has begun at the closed-session hall in Sauraha, Chitwan.
The voting was scheduled for 2 AM, Tuesday, but began two hours later around in the morning.
Earlier on Monday early morning, KP Sharma Oli tabled the names of 19 office bearers including his name as the party chairman and the list of members of the central committee. However, the hall of the plenary did not accept the proposal, and candidacy was filed challenging the proposals.
UML leader Bhim Rawal challenged KP Sharma Oli himself for the post of Chairman, who was elected as the vice-chairman of the party in the Ninth General Convention. Leaders like Ghanashyam Bhusal, Ashtha Laxmi Shakya, Subhash Nemwang, Yogesh Bhattarai, Bishnu Poudel, Gokarna Gyawal, Bhim Acharya, and Tanka Karki are contesting elections for various key positions.
Oli proposed the names of Yubraj Gyawali, Ashta Laxmi Shakya, Surendra Pandey, Ram Bahadur Thapa, Bishnu Poudel, and Subash Nembang for six vice-chairmen. Leader Bhusal, whose name was not included in the list, registered his candidacy for the same position.
Similarly, the party elected Shakhar Pokharel as general secretary and leaders trio Pradeep Gyawali, Prithvi Subba Gurung, and Bishnu Rimal as the deputy general secretaries unanimously.
UML leaders Bhim Acharya and Tanka Karki, who were Madhav Nepal’s supporters before the party split and filed their candidacy for secretarial positions. UML plenary is voting to elect seven secretaries from among the nine candidates.
Those proposed as the secretaries include Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, Raghubir Mahaseth, Chhabilal Bishwakarma, Yogesh Bhattarai, Gokarna Bista and Padma Aryal.
