Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist and Leninist (CPN-UML),  headed by Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, is on the verge of split as a party faction, headed by former prime minister Madhav Nepal, is parting its ways from Oli. Madhav Nepal, along with other senior leaders of the CPN-UML, are now preparing to register themselves as a separate party. Currently, Oli’s CPN-UML is the largest communist party in the country. 

Significantly, Madhav Nepal led the CPN-UML as its general secretary for fifteen years from 1993 to 2008. However, after the merger of the communist factions in 2018, Oli cornered him. 

Differences between the two big leaders were growing with each passing day, and on Sunday, Oli, which is also the chair of the CPN-UML, expelled Madhav Nepal and ten other leaders from the party. On Monday this week, Nepal and other 21 rebel MPs, signed an opposition petition, challenging the house dissolution in the Supreme Court.

Last week, Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari, dissolved parliament--the second time in the last five months-- and called fresh elections. However, Sher Bahadur Deuba, opposition leader and chief of the main opposition party, Nepal Congress, moved the country’s Supreme Court. 

He claimed that he had presented a claim to form a majority government with signed support letters from MPs. Despite the claim, the president went on to dissolve the house which, he alleged, was unconstitutional. 

Communist parties in Nepal have been facing a series of rebellions since the last year. First, Oli faced stiff resistance from Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also a former prime minister of Nepal. Later on, an unexpected ruling by Nepal’s apex court nullified the unification of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP), resuscitating the CPN-UML and the CPN-MC, headed by Oli and Dahal respectively. 

Oli’s government fell this month after Dahal’s party withdrew its support, and Madhav Nepal rebelled against Oli. 

(SAM)