Senior leader of Nepal’s Communist Party of Nepal–Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), Surendra Pandey, has said he is entering the race for the post of general secretary with the aim of bringing new life to the party.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, Pandey said his decision to contest the post is driven by the need to strengthen democratic norms and practices within the party. He is seeking the general secretary position from outside the establishment camp.
Pandey said his candidacy is not about individual ambition but about reforming the party through established procedures and traditions. “I am contesting for the post of general secretary to revitalise the party, to reorganise it through proper methods and practices, and to develop a culture where ‘we’ come before ‘I’,” he said.
He added that the election will also help counter the narrative that the UML lacks internal democracy. According to Pandey, open competition and elections demonstrate that the party is not afraid of democratic processes.
“There is a perception that there is no democracy in the UML, that elections do not take place, and that there is no space for open expression,” he said. “Through this contest, I want to show that the real UML is never afraid of competition or democracy.”
Pandey said democratic competition within the party strengthens its foundations and reinforces public trust rather than weakening unity.
