UML Faces Chyasal Office Eviction Over Land Dispute

The government’s latest directive to reclaim state-owned land that was never formally converted into lease agreements is set to force the country’s largest ruling party to vacate its central office in Lalitpur. The move has placed the party headquarters in Chyasal under direct scrutiny and triggered internal discussions over relocating its operations.

The order, issued by the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, requires organizations occupying government land under temporary use rights to leave if those rights were not legally transformed into lease arrangements. The decision affects hundreds of institutions across the country, but the case involving the ruling party’s headquarters has drawn particular attention because of its political significance and long-running controversy over the use of public land.

The office complex currently used by the party stands on land provided to a memorial foundation under occupancy rights decades ago. Authorities now say the land was being used in violation of the original conditions after it was rented out to a third party.

Government Order Targets Non-Leased Public Land

The ministry issued a circular on Wednesday instructing authorities to clear government land that remains under occupancy arrangements but was never converted into formal lease agreements.

According to records prepared by the Department of Land Management and Archives, a total of 342 institutions across the country had obtained rights to use state-owned land under various occupancy arrangements. However, many of those organizations reportedly failed to complete the legal process required to convert the land into leasehold property.

The Chyasal property used as the ruling party’s headquarters falls within that category.

Officials had already instructed organizations in 2016 to regularize such land by converting occupancy rights into lease agreements. The foundation linked to the Chyasal property did not complete that process.

How the Chyasal Office Became Controversial

The office building currently being used by the party was constructed on land granted to a memorial foundation under occupancy rights by a government decision made in February 2002.

Authorities say the original arrangement did not permit the land to be rented out to another party. Despite that restriction, the foundation reportedly leased the property to the political party beginning in 2021.

After the latest government instruction, the party may now be required to vacate the premises.

A senior party official responsible for publicity said the organization had learned about the government’s broader directive but had not yet received a separate formal notice specifically regarding the office complex.

He also confirmed that discussions had already begun within the party regarding the possibility of relocating its headquarters.

Details of the Land Under Occupancy Rights

The disputed property includes two separate land plots in Lalitpur.

• One plot measures 9 ropani, 4 aana, 2 paisa and 2 daam.
• The second plot covers 3 ropani, 2 aana, 3 paisa and 1 daam.

The entire building complex on both sides of the Chyasal road is currently being used by the ruling party.

The office building had previously suffered damage during a youth-led protest movement but was reconstructed within a month and brought back into operation.

Years of Relocation After Earthquake Damage

The party has shifted its headquarters multiple times over the past decade.

After the 2015 earthquake severely damaged its Balakhu office complex, the organization moved into a building owned by another memorial foundation in Dhumbarahi.

Questions were later raised over the legality of that arrangement as well, prompting another relocation to a privately owned residence in Thapathali Heights.

Party leaders eventually moved operations to the Chyasal complex after determining that the previous office space had become too small for expanding activities and administrative work.

The latest government decision now threatens to displace the headquarters once again.

Planned New Headquarters Faces Uncertainty

The party had already been preparing for a long-term relocation plan before the latest directive was issued.

A prominent businessman associated with a major retail chain had pledged more than 10 ropani of land for the construction of a new headquarters building. A foundation stone ceremony for the project was held in October 2024, and the donor had publicly committed to constructing the building within one year before handing it over to the party.

However, construction work never began.

The businessman later informed party leaders that he would be unable to proceed with the project after his own business interests came under pressure during unrest linked to the youth protest movement in September 2025.

That development left the party without a clear alternative headquarters even before the government ordered organizations to vacate non-leased public land.

Political and Administrative Impact

The Chyasal office has served as the party’s central command center for years and remains one of the most visible political properties in the Kathmandu Valley. A forced relocation would create logistical challenges for party administration, meetings, and national coordination activities.

The government’s latest enforcement campaign could also trigger wider consequences for other organizations occupying public land under similar arrangements. Since hundreds of institutions remain on land that was never legally converted into lease agreements, authorities may face increasing pressure to implement the directive consistently.

For the ruling party, however, the issue has become especially sensitive because it combines legal, political, and symbolic concerns at a time when it is already searching for a permanent headquarters solution.

With uncertainty surrounding both the Chyasal property and the stalled construction of a new office complex, the party now faces the immediate challenge of securing another location for its national headquarters.