It has been more than three weeks since CPN (Maoist Center) concluded its 8th General Convention, re-electing Pushpa Kamal Dahal as party chair for the next five years. The party, however, has not been able to elect the party’s office bears due to the high number of aspirants.
The convention decided to elect 15 office bearers including a chairman, a senior vice-chairman, six vice-chairmen, a general secretary, two deputy general secretaries, three secretaries and one treasurer.
The party concluded its convention saying that the Central Committee will elect 14 office bearers. But the party has not elected the office bearers yet.
Dahal had publicly said that the process to elect the office bearers has been delayed as the party’s senior leaders Barsha Man Pun and Onsari Gharti Magar are currently in China.
He along with his spouse Gharti Magar had not attended the party’s convention as well. But this is not the only reason that the party has not elected the office bearers yet. There are multiple aspirants mainly in the post of senior vice-chairman and general secretary which are considered as the vital posts after the chairperson. Leaders who will be elected to the posts will also decide the next party chairman after Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
Pun is scheduled to return from China on Monday and the party is likely to expedite the process of electing the office bearers.
Party leaders, however, said it will take some time because of the intense competition among the leaders.
The party has to convene the meeting of the Central Committee to elect the office bearers. But, such meeting is unlikely in the near future due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Though Dahal is likely to take retirement in the near future, party leaders are closely watching a person to replace him.
Baburam Bhattarai and Mohan Baidya served as Dahal's deputies for a long time but after they left the party, there are curiosity on who will replace him in the Maoist party.
