A brewing mutiny within CPN-UML chair KP Oli’s camp on the eve of the party’s leadership election has shaken the general convention.

Oli, who is looking for a third consecutive term as party chair, and his senior vice chair until Monday Ishwar Pokhrel, have filed their respective candidacies for chair on Monday at the party’s ongoing general convention at Bhrikutimandap, Kathmandu.

A total of 2,263 party delegates will vote for the 301 leadership positions, including office bearers, central committee members, who will be picked from various clusters and groups like women, indigenous groups, Dalits, among others.

Voting is scheduled for Tuesday, according to the party’s central election commission, headed by Bijaya Subba.

On the eve of nomination filings for various positions, and despite increasing the number of office-bearer seats from 15 to 19, a major revolt within Oli’s camp has rocked the 11th general convention, and according to some leaders, the election could give unexpected results.

The Oli panel has retained a lot of old and repeated faces, but the Pokhrel faction has brought in new faces in its nominations for Tuesday’s election.

The repetition of Shankar Pokhrel for the post of general secretary has caused discontent in the camp. Pradeep Gyawali, a Oli loyalist who was widely seen as a possible general secretary candidate, left the convention venue at Bhrikutimandap in frustration, said a UML leader. Bishnu Poudel, another Oli loyalist, is also unhappy with Oli for trying to repeat Pokhrel as general secretary, the leader told the Post.

Gyawali, who has defended Oli for long and particularly after the Gen Z movement, was offered the vice-chair post, but he has instead filed candidacy for a central committee membership.

“The party leadership is holding talks with various leaders aspiring for different positions,” said Padma Aryal, who is considered close to Oli. “Due to the large number of aspirants for higher positions, it has become difficult to manage the leaders.”

She stated that Gyawali is in the talks with party leadership. Aryal herself is contesting again for the post of party secretary.

From the Pokhrel camp, Surendra Pandey is contesting for general secretary. There is almost no discontent in Pokhrel’s camp, according to leaders. Pokhrel, who is backed by former President Bidya Devi Bhandari, said he is contesting to promote orderly leadership and rules-based approach in the party.

“Internal competition is natural. Even when we were underground in the past [party-less Panchayat days], there was competition. In a party guided by people’s multiparty democracy, competition should be viewed as natural,” Pokhrel said. “My candidacy for the chair is… to run the party through collective leadership, rules, and procedures. There is a need to reorganise the party in terms of ideology, structure, leadership, and working style.”

Following Gyawali’s departure on Monday, other senior leaders who were close to Oli in the past shifted to Pokhrel’s camp.

Rajendra Gautam, head of the Publicity Department, who was aspiring for secretary from Oli’s camp, was excluded, and is now contesting for deputy general secretary as an independent candidate. Likewise, Raghuji Pant is preparing to contest for vice-chair from Pokhrel’s camp after the rival Oli camp listed him as a central committee candidate. “I am seeking support from all sides,” he said.

Although names such as Ram Bahadur Thapa, Gyawali, Paudel, Guru Baral, and Prithvi Subba Gurung have reportedly been finalised as candidates for vice-chair from the Oli group, Gyawali remained firm on contesting for the post of general secretary.

Former minister Bhim Acharya, who was also listed for central committee membership from the Oli camp, quit the camp and filed candidacy for vice-chair. However, the Pokhrel faction has yet to endorse him. Likewise, Lalbabu Pandit, who was in Oli’s panel but was dissatisfied after being offered central committee membership, has filed candidacy for party secretary.

Some of Oli’s allies, including Agni Kharel, Krishna Gopal Shrestha, Sher Bahadur Tamang, Jwala Kumari Sah, have also publicly expressed their displeasure after being overlooked for key positions. Kharel, who was listed as a candidate for the central committee from Oli camp, revolted and filed candidacy for party secretary, according to the UML leaders.

Ananda Pokhrel, who was also looking for a place in Oli’s panel, filed his candidacy for the post of deputy general secretary. Incumbent secretary Lekhraj Bhatta, who was nominated for secretary again, announced that he would not contest the same post. Later, Bhatta was promoted as candidate for deputy secretary general by demoting Bhanubhakta Dhakal, who was in the list of deputy secretary generals.