Former President Bidya Devi Bhandari has announced her return to active politics as a member of the CPN-UML.

“I have renewed my membership of the party [CPN-UML] with an objective of giving continuity to the party’s political journey,” Bhandari announced at a function organised by Madan Bhandari Foundation in Kathmandu on Saturday. “Now, I am reunited with the CPN-UML as a member of this family and I feel proud of this.”

She had dissociated her affiliation with the country’s largest communist party after being elected to the post of the head of state in October 2015. She served as the country’s President for seven years continuously. She was a UML vice-chair before being elected to the country’s top post.

Bhandari made the announcement ending months-long speculations about her plan to rejoin active politics.

Speculations about her rejoining the CPN-UML were rife after she became active in meeting the party’s cadres across the country for the last couple of months.

Her recent visit to China was seen as a strategy to bolster her political image. She spent 10 days in China leading a 14-member delegation from May 24.

According to UML insiders, she is planning to succeed current party chairman and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli as party chief from the coming general convention while Oli, who has led the party twice, has expressed his willingness to repeat in the top post once again.