Kathmandu, — A fresh debate is stirring within Nepal’s main opposition party, the CPN-UML, after its Intellectual Council began gathering public opinion on setting a 70-year age limit and a two-term cap for leadership positions.
The Council rolled out an online survey via Google Forms with 15 questions, aiming to shape internal reforms ahead of the party’s upcoming Statute Convention. The survey touches on key topics: whether party leaders should face a 70-year age cap, if leadership roles should be limited to two terms, and whether the current structure — including the 301-member Central Committee and 19-member Secretariat — should be downsized.
It also asks whether former members who rejoin the party should be automatically reinstated to their previous posts. The Council believes these issues should be addressed directly in the party’s statute. But not everyone in the party agrees with the approach.
Leadership Tensions and Party Discipline Concerns
Rajendra Gautam, head of the party’s Publicity Department, sees the Council’s survey as a step outside party discipline. He says the issues being raised were meant for internal discussion only.
“We had asked subordinate committees to discuss and send suggestions internally. Making these topics public was never part of the plan,” Gautam said. “This goes against party policy. We’ve taken serious note, and the people involved have been informed.”
Council Chair Gajendra Thapaliya sees it differently. He says the survey is meant to encourage open participation and help ensure the upcoming convention is meaningful.
“What’s the point of a statute convention if we can’t have real discussion?” Thapaliya said. “We should be allowed open, wide-ranging debate. Telling people what they can and can’t talk about doesn’t align with democratic values. Our survey is for both party members and the general public — and it’s not stopping.”
Thapaliya was elected chair of the Council from the non-establishment faction at its 11th General Assembly on June 2, defeating establishment-backed candidate Dr. Dipendra Bhandari.
Key Reports to Be Presented at Statute Convention
The CPN-UML’s Statute Convention is scheduled for September 5 to 7 in Godavari, Lalitpur. According to Gautam, the convention will focus on four main items: a political report, an organizational report, proposed changes to the party’s statute, and updates from four advisory councils and three commissions.
Party Chair and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will present the political report. Vice-Chair and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel will handle the statute amendment proposal, and General Secretary Shankar Pokharel will present the organizational report.
Additional reports will come from Keshav Badal of the Central Disciplinary Commission, Dr. Pushpa Kandel of the Audit Commission, Dr. Bijaya Subba of the Election Commission, and Amrit Kumar Bohora of the Advisory Council.
