The CPN-UML on Saturday began group discussions on various reports presented at its second statute convention, which is underway in Godawari, Lalitpur. Representatives have been divided into 10 groups to review political, organisational, and statute amendment documents, among others.

Party chair KP Sharma Oli tabled the political report on Friday, while Vice-chair Bishnu Paudel presented statute amendment proposals, and General Secretary Shankar Pokhrel submitted the organisational report. Reports from the election, accounts, discipline commissions, and advisory council were also presented.

Each group discusses membership expansion, organisational structure, committee formation, mandatory training and internal discipline.

Statute proposals include scrapping the senior vice-chair post, reducing the size of the standing committee, politburo, and central committee, and giving more authority to the party chair.

The political report highlights challenges in implementing federalism, the state of the economy, foreign policy, and electoral strategies. Oli, in his report, has proposed “Nepali style of socialism”.

This is a kind of policy departure in the UML from the party’s core principle of people’s multiparty democracy propagated by the late Madan Bhandari.

In his new document, Oli states that socialism with Nepali characteristics will adopt a competitive, people-oriented, and transparent economic policy.

Group leaders will present their conclusions in Sunday’s closed session, followed by clarifications from the respective leaders and final decisions.

Meanwhile, Standing Committee member Karna Thapa said he was barred from presenting his dissenting opinion. Although the committee had agreed to discuss it, he said, he was stopped from speaking, and instead, he distributed a 30-page document to delegates.

His dissent reportedly objected to the party’s decision to bar former President Bidya Devi Bhandari from the party’s membership.

Bhandari, a former vice-chairwoman of the party, was recently barred from obtaining party membership. Some senior UML leaders have sought a party decision to allow her to reenter active politics.

After Bhandari started challenging Oli’s leadership, his supporters urged Bhandari that it is immoral and unethical for someone who has already become the country’s President to rejoin party politics.

Over 2,000 UML representatives from across the country have attended the party’s second statute convention underway at Godawari Convention Centre, Lalitpur.