UML’s 10th national convention kicks off in Chitwan

After 7 years and 3 months from its 9th national convention, the main opposition party CPN (UML)'s started its 10th national convention in Chitwan today, though the law directs the political parties to regularly hold their national convention every five years.

The 3-day convention will conclude on Sunday by electing new leadership for the next five years.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba alongwith key leaders of various political parties were present at the inaugural session of the convention chaired by the party chair KP Sharma Oli.

Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal did not attend the meeting, and sent his aide Lilamani Pokharel to attend the convention of UML, which has not invited CPN (Unified Socialist) chair Madhav Kumar Nepal, who formed his own party after splitting from the UML following a long-standing dispute with the party chair Oli.

The convention is also being attended by some 15 foreign delegates from 16 political parties of various countries including India.

Party chair Oli inaugurated the 10th congress, where Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba also attended.

Though, Nepal's political parties have been blamed for their heavy expenses without any source of income, the CPN (UML) has claimed that it has collected Rs 100 leby from its 850,000 members. "Rs 100 donation from each of our 850,000 members has totalled to Rs 85 million," the party claimed, adding that the expenses will be met from the collection.

The Election Commission, has however, yesterday asked all the political parties to make their expenses transparency. "The EC has developed a format for all the political parties to keep their expenses transparent according to Political Parties Act-2073, article 40," the constitutional body said in its notice yesterday. "The EC has approved some 8 forms for the political parties to keep their accounts transparent," the notice reads, adding that all the political parties must keep accounts according to the prescribed format also for the uniformity. "It will help maintain transparency in all the political parties."

The political parties have been questioned for their heavy expenses, as they have no definite income sources.