KATHMANDU, Aug 15: Former President Bidya Devi Bhandari is set to begin a nationwide tour. Amid mounting pressure within lower-level CPN-UML committees to renew her party membership, she will launch her tour from Koshi Province on August 18. After completing programs in Koshi, she is scheduled to visit Madhesh Province on August 30, according to her close associates.
"She will attend various programs in different districts of Koshi Province starting August 18. Then, she will proceed to Madhesh Province," said a UML official close to her. Bhandari is embarking on this tour at a time when the UML leadership has signaled that her membership will not be renewed. "With most leaders and cadres across all provinces pressing the central committee to reverse its decision on her membership renewal, she is now heading to Koshi and Madhesh," the official added.
With the party's Statute Convention approaching, Bhandari's provincial visits are being viewed as significant. After completing her interactions with leaders and cadres in Koshi and Madhesh, she is also scheduled to regularly attend meetings at the party office in Chyasal, Lalitpur.
The UML’s Statute Convention is scheduled to be held from September 5 to 7. Ahead of the event, various committees are gathering suggestions.
In this context, the Lumbini Province Committee meeting began on Wednesday. Many members in Lumbini criticized the party for creating disputes instead of resolving them internally, warning that unresolved issues could have serious consequences in the next election. The full views of Lumbini’s leaders have yet to be made public.
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On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Koshi Province Committee meeting saw members pressing for the central committee to reverse its decision not to renew Bhandari’s membership. Pressure for renewal has also been mounting in Bagmati Province, not just in her home province of Koshi.
In Koshi, 40 members spoke on Tuesday; eight expressed opinions either for or against reversing the decision, while the rest remained silent, according to one member. On Wednesday, however, members were not given speaking time. Those who spoke Tuesday—including DB Karki (Morang), Roshan Basnet (Bhojpur), and Anju Pandey (Sunsari)—warned that if the decision was not corrected, the party could face serious problems.
Similarly, Bhojpur chair Makar Khadka warned that if the issue was not resolved, it could gravely affect the party’s “Mission 2084” goals and urged for membership renewal. Young members of the Koshi Province Committee even challenged the provincial in-charge Sherdhan Rai, demanding that Bhandari’s membership be reinstated.
However, Khadga Rai (Sankhuwasabha), Hom Thapa, Nirmala Shiwakoti, and Matrika Bhattarai (Jhapa) opposed the idea, arguing that a dignified figure like a former president should not re-enter active politics. The rest of the speakers refrained from expressing a clear stance for or against her. Party Chair KP Sharma Oli and General Secretary Shankar Pokharel have maintained that the matter is closed, warning that those who speak in violation of the directive may face action—a factor that kept many members supportive of Bhandari silent, though they stressed that leaders must work to keep the party out of crisis.
Koshi leaders had sought to meet General Secretary Pokharel to resolve the membership dispute, but he returned to Kathmandu without meeting them. Bhojpur chair Khadka said the central committee’s recent decision had caused confusion among the cadres and warned that unless the issue was resolved through dialogue to unify the party, Mission 2084’s goals could not be achieved. His statement left provincial in-charge Rai in silence.
He warned that even if he neither opposed nor supported the decision to deny Bhandari membership, grassroots party workers frequently raised numerous questions about the central committee’s decision. He cautioned that if they attempted to move forward under the current circumstances, the party’s position in the next election could weaken.
Another provincial member, Roshan Basnet, expressed strong dissatisfaction that the note of dissent from leaders during the central committee meeting had not been recorded in the official minutes. He also objected to threats allegedly made against those speaking in Bhandari’s favor.
"Some leaders in lower committees have been intimidating others, saying their names are on a notice. That is intimidation. This is no way to run a party. I strongly object," Basnet said. He called for Bhandari’s membership to be reinstated respectfully. "This party was built on the policies and ideas brought by certain leaders, and now those very leaders’ family members are being insulted and humiliated by the top leadership. This is regrettable, and such objectionable behavior should be corrected immediately by reversing the membership decision," he added.
Opening the meeting, General Secretary Pokharel said the issue of Bhandari’s membership had already been settled by the central committee and would not be discussed at the Statute Convention.
Meanwhile, many Bagmati Province leaders have also been pressing for Bhandari’s membership renewal. This pressure from Koshi and Bagmati comes as UML committees at various levels are holding meetings to prepare suggestions for the Statute Convention scheduled for September 5–7.
In Monday’s Bagmati Province meeting, leaders said the central decision had angered grassroots members, creating divisions within the party. Secretariat members Naresh Khatiwada and Ramesh Acharya claimed that the decision to exclude the former president had provoked widespread resentment among lower-level cadres.
Kathmandu chair Deepak Niraula said the decision to bar Bhandari had upset cadres, and the policy of prohibiting discussion on the statute and Bhandari’s case was undermining internal democracy. Ramechhap chair Purushottam Kadariya said that while Chair Oli could still be regarded as the main leader, the central committee’s decision had failed to properly address the leadership transition issue raised within the party.
Former Ramechhap chair Shanti Paudel urged that the dispute be resolved. Sindhuli’s Shanti Bahadur Karki said that the decision to keep Bhandari—the spouse of the late people’s leader Madan Bhandari—outside the party had created disappointment among party members.
