UML Faces Risk of Transformation or Collapse, Warns Leader Surendra Pande

7 Chait, Butwal – CPN-UML leader Surendra Pande has cautioned that unless the party adopts the correct path, it will face severe challenges and may reach a point of collapse. Speaking at an interaction held in Butwal on Saturday, he asserted that without altering all party structures and work styles, the crisis cannot be overcome.

He pointed out that the party’s decline began after the People’s Parliament was undermined by party chairman KP Oli’s decision to dissolve the parliament twice.

Although the constitution stipulates that a party chairman should hold the post only once, Pande indicated that the party would not have reached its present grave condition if this rule had been respected. He criticized the tendency of holding onto power indefinitely and the absence of a clear system for collective leadership and team-based work, which has led to the party’s weakening.

Pande urged party members across the country to exercise their sovereign rights to restructure the party and restore it to its former status.

He stated that the leadership must accept responsibility for the party’s defeat, which has extended its impact from the federal elections to provincial and local levels. “It is necessary for the leadership to take responsibility, admit weaknesses, and be prepared to initiate change,” he said. “The party is at a decisive crossroads; it will either reform or face ruin.”

Highlighting that although this is the final chance for reform, delays are occurring, Pande noted that the problem is structural rather than superficial. Citing party member representation and vote counts from Mahottari and Dhanusha districts, he insisted, “This is not a service delivery issue; it is a structural problem that must be fully addressed. Failure to do so will inevitably lead to the party’s collapse.”

He stressed the need for awakening among party workers from the grassroots level by comparing party membership with current vote shares in each ward.

Pande suggested that if the party committees are allowed to decide on candidates’ tickets for local, provincial, and federal elections, the party organization would become more decentralized and robust down to the local levels.

He acknowledged the significant role of social media and information technology in influencing the recent elections.

Pointing out the widening gap between youth and elderly voters, he revealed that most voters under 30 did not support UML, nor did many voters above 60. Without radical structural reform, Pande warned that in future elections the party might only win seats corresponding to a small scooter’s capacity rather than a larger vehicle like a bus.

“Winning nearly 174 seats in 2074 (2017) was a great success, but we failed to maintain it. In the past, the communists came together in 3-4 buses; in 2079 (2022), they came in one bus, which has now shrunk to a microbus, and next time it may only hold a scooter. This is what will happen if we do not choose the right path. Therefore, we are at risk. But we must move forward with commitment and transform all our work methods,” Pande said.

He warned that only by bravely confronting weaknesses can the party proceed on the right path; otherwise, the day of collective collapse is approaching.