The secret meeting between Bhandari and Oli

Former President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli on Sunday held one-to-one meeting for nearly two hours at central party office of CPN-UML at Chyasal, Lalitpur district. The talks between the two top leaders of the ruling

party comes amidst ex-president Bhandari’s move to re-enter party politics and party President and PM Oli’s hesitation to welcome Bhandari’s step.

Prior to the meeting between the two leaders at Chyasal, PM Oli was had tried to stop Bhandari to renew her party membership. However, after the meeting, Bhandari told media that they discussed only the current political situation and the renewal of her party membership was already sorted out.

According to sources close to the UML the meeting was aimed at clearing mis-understanding in the party’s leadership due to Bhandari’s come back, which apperantly divided the party’s leadership into two factions.

After the meeting was over the two leaders seemed cheerful but none of the two made public what exactly happened during the secret meeting. Ex-president Bhandari’s come back to the party politics has posed threat to PM Oli, who wants to lead the largest communist party for the third time. We have to wait and see what exactly will be the impacts of Bhandari’s return to the politics within and outside the party.