A survey conducted by a group of CPN-UML leaders has found that 87.6 percent of respondents support restructuring the party's leadership, amid growing calls within the party for a leadership overhaul following the results of its March 5 internal election.

The survey, coordinated by UML Central Committee member Gajendra Thapaliya under the banner of the "Revival Campaign for UML Transformation and Restructuring," was submitted to General Secretary Shankar Pokharel on Thursday.

According to the survey, only 10.5 percent of respondents believe the party should continue under Chairman KP Sharma Oli's leadership. Thapaliya said the findings reflected the views of thousands of Nepalis living both inside and outside the country and could help the party reorganise itself. The online survey conducted through Google Forms, drew responses from around 2,000 participants. Of them, 72.2 percent were organised UML members, 15.9 percent party supporters, 10 percent independent citizens, and 1.9 percent members of other political parties.

"The findings are based on the opinions of Nepalis living both inside and outside the country. We expect the survey to be useful in rebuilding the party in a new way," Thapaliya said. "We submitted it to the party general secretary, requesting him to use it as a credible reference. We consider the survey to be the party's valuable resource."

Receiving the report, Pokharel said the party would study its findings. "We will examine it," he said.

UML Publicity Department chief Niraj Acharya said the survey was not an official party exercise but could be treated as a recommendation.

"Anyone can offer suggestions to the party. This survey is not an official party document," Acharya said.

Party central committee members, including Thapaliya, Ramesh Paudel and Naresh Rokaya, who were involved in the survey, said they planned to raise its findings at the party's next central committee meeting.

Within the UML, several senior leaders—including Vice Chairs Bishnu Paudel, Gokarna Bista, Prithvi Subba Gurung and Raghuji Pant, as well as General Secretary Pokharel and Deputy General Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai—have, according to party insiders, been advocating some form of leadership restructuring. They, however, differ on how and when the transition should take place.

The survey found overwhelming support for leadership reform. Besides the 87.6 percent who favoured leadership change, 91.4 percent said the UML could not move forward without leadership transformation, while only 7.4 percent believed the party could continue successfully under its existing leadership.

Calls for Oli, an old-generation leader, to hand over the party to a younger generation have been growing within the UML. Oli, however, has repeatedly dismissed such calls, arguing that he was elected by the party's general convention and should be allowed to complete his term. Half of the respondents said the leadership transition should be decided by the central committee, while 17.7 percent preferred the party's office bearers to make the decision.

The survey also found strong backing for wider internal reforms. Eighty-three percent supported electing the party leadership through direct voting by all party members instead of by general convention delegates, while 88.1 percent said candidates for periodic elections should be selected through votes by organised members rather than by party headquarters.

Respondents also favoured promoting younger leaders, with 91 percent saying capable young members should be directly brought into leadership positions at all levels of the party. The survey further found that 87.5 percent believed the party's policies should be revised, while only around 10.5 percent said the existing policies remained appropriate. When asked to assess the current leadership's performance, 95 percent said it needed improvement.

Last September, the UML amended its statute to remove both the two-term limit for executive positions and the 70-year age cap, clearing the way for Oli to seek a third term as party chair. The survey, however, found that 83 percent stood for reinstating the two-term limit, while 15 percent opposed the proposal.

Last year, around 400 General Convention delegates had signed a petition demanding a special convention, but the signature campaign was later suspended at the request of former acting party chairman Ram Bahadur Thapa.