Senior leader Nepal, who enjoys support of a majority of leaders and considered close to party Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal, has the challenge of maintaining fine balance between picking leaders close to him and offering respectable share to Khanal loyalists as well.

Ghanshyam Bhusal, a leader close to Nepal, said they are announcing candidates for key positions within this week.  Nepal has tentatively finalised the name list to be fielded from his panel.  He, however, is in a fix on whether to filed Surendra Pandey or Bhim Rawal for the post of general secretary.

Party insiders say Nepal is under immense pressure to pick Pandey—core member of Khanal— for the general secretary to maintain good relations with the incumbent party chairman, while his confidant Rawal is also eying for the same post.  Leaders close to Khanal are suggesting Nepal to field Rawal for vice chairman’s position.  Rawal, however, is less interested to vie for the vice chairman’s post as the party’s proposed statute has a provision of five vice chairmen in the new set up.  Rawal believes the vice chairman’s position will be less powerful in comparison to general secretary.  “I have already contested for the vice chairman’s post in the eighth General Convention and I lost only with a slim margin. I prefer to contest for officer bearer’s position, instead,” said Rawal. Of late, Nepal has made up his mind to field Asta Laxmi Shakya and Yubaraj Gyawali as vice chairman candidates. Gyawali is a long time aide to Khanal while Shakya is close to Nepal.

Raghuji Panta from the Nepal camp and Khanal’s supporters Ghanshyam Bhusal, Gokarna Bista and Prakash Jwala from are being considered for the post of secretaries. Party sources say Nepal’s dilemma to choose candidates for officer bearers is a fear that Khanal himself may claim the party’s leadership. Around 20 central leaders loyal to Khanal are also campaigning to re-elect incumbent party chairman unanimously in the context of absence of consensus between Nepal and Oli.

The bonhomie between Khanal and Nepal is also being interpreted as former’s support in future to the party chairman for the post of head of the state.

15 names proposed for by-poll candidate

The CPN-UML Valley Coordination Committee has recommended names of 15 prospective candidates for the upcoming Constituent Assembly by-election for Kathmandu constituency-2.

Among the names recommended to the UML headquarters include party General Secretary Ishwor Pokharel and Secretary Shankar Pokharel. Both leaders had lost in the CA election held on 19 November 2013 from Kathmandu-5 and Dang-4, respectively. 

The Supreme Court’s proscription against appointment of defeated CA poll candidates under the Cabinet nomination quota had kept these two leaders from becoming lawmakers. But one of them still stands a chance of becoming a parliamentarian, if picked the UML’s candidate for the by-election set for June 22. 

The other recommended candidates are Mahendra Bahadur Pandey, Agni Kharel, Krishna Gopal Shrestha, Sanu Shrestha, Brinda Pandey, Nabaraj Parajuli, Maniram Phuyal, Rukmini Shrestha, Buddha Ratna Chitrakar, Subarna Shrestha, Sarita Neupane, Krishna Hari Thapa and Narayan Dhakal.

UML senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, who was elected from Kathmandu-2, had quit the constituency as required by the election law since he also won from another constituency in his home district Rautahat. Besides Kathmandu-2, the Election Commission is also holding the CA by-election for Chitwan-4, Bardiya-1 and Kailali-6.