Former Nepali Prez Bhandari announces return to politics month after China visit; intra-party rift surfaces

Kathmandu [Nepal], June 28 : Former Nepali President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has announced her return to active politics as a member of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML).

The announcement by the former President comes after a month of her visit to China. Bhandari, leading a delegation of 14 members, was on a 10-day visit to China, where she had interactions and meetings with Chinese officials.

The announcement by the former President has invited intra-party rift within the ruling party, which is also the largest communist party in the House of Representatives of the Himalayan nation. Former President Bhandari made the announcement on the birth anniversary of her late husband and former leader of the CPN-UML, Madan Bhandari.

"After being freed from the responsibilities (as a president), I am determined to continue the political journey with the CPN-UML. I have renewed my party membership. Now, I am reunited with the CPN-UML as a member of this family, and I feel proud of this," Bhandari announced as the cadres and supporters cheered, welcoming her decision.

The former President, in her address, recalled that she had dissociated herself from the CPN-UML, the country's largest communist party, after being elected to the post of head of state in October 2015. She served as the country's President for seven consecutive years. She was a UML vice-chair before being elected to the country's top post.

Speculations about her rejoining the CPN-UML were rife after she became active in meeting the party's cadres across the country over 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.

Her decision to return to politics has been welcomed by the senior vice-president of the CPN-UML, Ishwar Pokhrel, who had addressed the same event before Bhandari's announcement.

"Former President is a political being. She has an interest in politics; that is her faith. Her background and her growth came from the political sphere, and that shouldn't be thought with a narrow mind. Return to politics should not be theorized by questioning what's the use of transitioning to a republic from kingshipit would be a joke," Pokhrel acclaimed.

According to party insiders, the former President plans to succeed the current party chairman and Prime Minister, KP Sharma Oli, as party chief at the upcoming general convention. Oli has led the party twice and plans to repeat the top post once again.

Expressing his dissatisfaction, Oli, on Saturday, while sharing the stage with Bhandari, the current chair and the Prime Minister, made an implied statement that he would not welcome her return.

"There is a dream that CPN-UML will come to an end. No such explosions would occur; it cannot be expected further. It would never fade away or fall down. They have such kinds of hysterical expectations; it would never be true," Oli expressed.

Dissatisfaction and agony with Oli have been brewing within the party due to his approach to governance. Both Oli and Bhandari met last week, discussing the issue of returning to politics. Oli, back then, also opposed Bhandari's intention to return to politics.

On Saturday as well, Oli, who shared the stage alongside Bhandari, left the venue quickly after addressing the event, without listening to the speech delivered by the former head of state.

Apart from that, given the time and developments, the announcement by former President Bhandari and the subsequent return of former Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun to the CPN-Maoist Centre comes as a plan by the northern neighbour. A delegation from the CPN-Maoist had also visited China before the formal induction of Pun into an active role within the party.

Former President Bhandari, also the former vice-chair of the UML, was twice elected President of the country. She's also the wife of the late Madan Bhandari, the UML general secretary credited with providing the ideological basis for the UML's entry into competitive parliamentary politics. He died in a car crash in Chitwan in 1993 under mysterious circumstances.

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