The leadership crisis within the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) has intensified. Chairman KP Sharma Oli explicitly challenged his detractors to define the exact mechanisms they intend to use to remove him from his post.
This internal friction peaked during the party's ongoing secretariat meeting, which commenced on May 17. The defiance from the top leader emerged after a significant majority of secretariat members voiced their support for a comprehensive organizational overhaul.
According to party insiders, Oli questioned the feasibility of leadership transformation so soon after internal milestones. He pointed out that the national convention concluded less than six months ago and questioned the logic of forcing an extraordinary convention or disrupting newly formed tier-level committees.
Rejecting any backroom persuasion to resign, Oli made it clear that he would not yield the chairmanship through casual consensus. He asserted his solo capability to restore the political group to its former strength, advising colleagues to stop trying to convince him otherwise.
Instead of stepping aside, the chairman expressed his readiness to confront the party's central committee directly. He stated his intention to take the debate to the larger body, promising to engage with every single central committee member individually regarding the leadership dispute.
The atmosphere remains highly charged, with procedural disagreements stalling progress. During Saturday's session, Oli's attempt to abruptly conclude the prolonged deliberations was met with sharp resistance from standing member Prithvi Subba Gurung, who accused him of trying to silence remaining speakers.
So far, 14 secretariat members have delivered their remarks, with over ten figures demanding systemic restructuring. Notably, Deputy General Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai explicitly suggested that the chairman tender his resignation to resolve the deadlock.
The high-stakes meeting is scheduled to resume today, Sunday, where Chairman Oli is expected to deliver his formal response. High-ranking leaders including Sher Dhan Rai, Yam Lal Kandel, Bhanubhakta Dhakal, and Khagaraj Adhikari are still pending to register their official views.
