Kathmandu, July 24: Nepal’s ruling CPN-UML has blocked former president Bidya Devi Bhandari’s bid to re-enter active politics, saying it would be inappropriate for a former head of state to engage in a partisan role.During a meeting of the CPN-UML’s Central Committee, the party also endorsed the proposed statute amendment – passed by the party’s Secretariat and Politburo – to remove the age limit of 70 years and the two-term cap for leadership.
With this amendment, 74-year-old Prime Minister and CPN-UML chairman K P Sharma Oli, who is serving his second term as party chairman, can continue to serve the party in his position.
Bhandari’s decision to re-join party politics was anticipated as a challenge to Oli, who has been elected as the party’s chairman twice. He is planning to contest for the post of the party’s chairperson for the third time.
Briefing the media, party’s General Secretary Shanker Pokharel said on Wednesday that Bhandari’s general membership of the party has become ineffective as the central committee made the decision towards that direction.
The central committee has concluded that it is not appropriate for the former president to return to party politics, Pokharel said.
Bhandari, who retired as president on March 12, 2023, recently said that she was willing to re-enter party politics.