Madhav Nepal Resigned Morally After Election Defeat; KP Oli Faces Similar Situation

Kathmandu. After the party did not get an unexpected result in the historic Constituent Assembly elections held on Chaitra 28, 2064 BS, then CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal resigned on moral grounds. He announced his resignation at the party's central office, Madannagar, Balkhu, on Baisakh 1, 2065 BS, while the final results of the election had not yet come out. No one in the party had demanded the resignation of the then General Secretary Nepal.

Nepal, who played an important role in bringing the then rebel CPN Maoist into peaceful politics, was defeated by a large margin from Kathmandu-2 and his home district Rautahat-6. He was defeated by Maoist candidate Jhakku Subedi in Kathmandu-2 and Rabindra Patel in Rautahat-6.

When the traditional monarchy collapsed and the republic was declared by the People's Movement of 2062/063 BS, the Maoists had a nationwide dominance. In the Constituent Assembly elections held at a time when the rebel side, which had entered peaceful politics through the 12-point agreement, had its own People's Liberation Army, thousands of Janamilisia, and there was extreme public disillusionment with the parliamentary Nepali Congress and UML, the Maoists won 120 seats in the direct election. While Congress was limited to 37 seats in the direct election, UML won 33 seats and became the third largest party. Nepal, who was the General Secretary of UML for about 15 years, showed morality by accepting his shortcomings and resigning from leadership.

“I was the leader of the party through many ups and downs in the last fifteen years, as the General Secretary. The Constituent Assembly election this time was also fought under my leadership. As the General Secretary, I am morally responsible for the unexpected results the party faced in the Constituent Assembly elections. Therefore, accepting full moral responsibility for this, I have resigned from the post of General Secretary of the party effective today,” stated the resignation letter of the then CPN-UML General Secretary Nepal.

However, within a year of being defeated in the election, accepting the post of Prime Minister, running for the post of Chairman in the Eighth and Ninth General Conventions of the party, and forming the CPN (Unified Socialist) party under his own leadership by splitting the party in 2078 BS, Nepal could not maintain his political credibility due to such activities.

Eighteen years after the first Constituent Assembly election, UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has faced a similar fate. In the general election held on Falgun 21, 2082 BS, even though the party suffered its biggest setback in history, Oli did not show the courage to take moral responsibility. In the election, not only was Balen Shah, the former mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, elected from Jhapa-5, Oli's home constituency, but UML Chairman Oli himself was defeated by a wide margin of 49,614 votes.

All office bearers of UML who participated in the election were defeated. UML won only 9 seats in the direct election. In the 2079 BS election, the party, which became the first by getting 28,55,000 votes under proportional representation, was limited to the third position by winning 25 seats with 14,45,000 votes. The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), which Oli himself belittled as 'children', became the largest party by getting 51,55,000 votes under proportional representation and securing about two-thirds, i.e., 182 seats. In most of the 165 constituencies, UML candidates were defeated by RSP candidates.

On Bhadra 23 last year, Oli was the Prime Minister when the Gen Z age group protested. 23 youths lost their lives due to the government's brutal suppression of the peaceful protest against corruption and irregularities. The Oli government itself collapsed on Bhadra 24 due to the enraged protesters after unarmed youths were killed. It is discussed in political circles that the country and the communist movement suffered a major setback due to Oli's arrogance and ego in the elections held last Falgun.

About three months after the elections were completed, Chairman Oli called a UML Secretariat meeting on Jestha 4. In the meeting held at Oli's residence, Gundu, to discuss election review, distribution of responsibilities among leaders, and future plans of the party, he is in the minority. Vice Chairpersons Bishnu Prasad Paudel, Prithvi Subba Gurung, and General Secretary Shankar Pokharel, who supported Oli during serious crises in the past, are now in favor of Oli resigning and reorganizing the party. Out of 19 secretariat members, only Vice Chairman Ram Bahadur Thapa Badal and Secretary Mahesh Basnet are in favor of Oli.

Oli, who came to leadership for the third time through the 11th General Convention held in Mangsir, has been in the minority within 6 months. Leaders have suggested that Oli should resign and pave the way for party reorganization, but Oli is showing stubbornness, refusing to give up leadership. Targeting the disgruntled leaders, Oli said, “Don't try to convince me, you don't have to convince me. I will not give up leadership. No one should do anything to put the party in trouble, so don't talk about changing the leadership now.”

Regarding Oli's stubbornness in Gundu, Professor Lokraj Baral commented that he is a