BHAKTAPUR, Dec 12: The CPN-UML is set to inaugurate its 11th General Convention this Saturday at the 108-ropani Nepal Trust ground in Sallaghari, Bhaktapur, with preparations now in their final stages. The three-day event, running from December 13–15, will be inaugurated by party Chairman and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli at noon on the opening day.
The party claims it will mobilize up to 300,000 participants, with delegates from across the country already arriving in Kathmandu to inspect the site. On the eve of the event, they attended preparatory meetings, and prepared social media content ahead of the convention. Around 25,000 chairs have been arranged in the main viewing area for top party leaders, local participants, and foreign diplomatic representatives.
The main stage, designed in a Malla-era pagoda style, highlights Bhaktapur’s historic and cultural heritage, including the nearby Changunarayan Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Himalayan landscapes. Speakers on stage will appear as if addressing the audience from the temple steps, with Newar-inspired art and cultural decorations enhancing the visual appeal. Separate gates and temporary facilities—including about 30 toilets and other structures—have been installed for VIPs, the public, and cultural tableau displays.
Cultural processions featuring 200 performers in regional costumes will accompany participants from all wards of Bhaktapur, converging at the venue with massive rallies from the eastern and western parts of the valley. The party has also deployed around 10,000 volunteers, including 550 in uniform, to ensure smooth operations and security.
Bhaktapur District Chairman Bachan Deuja confirmed that a door-to-door invitation campaign has reached all four municipalities, distributing roughly 22,000 invitation letters. Banners, party flags, and public announcements have already been set up across the city to guide attendees.
According to Kiran Thapa, UML Bhaktapur vice-chair and Bagmati Province Health Minister, they worked day and night to prepare the main stage and other essential facilities to ensure a grand and orderly convention.
The event will also see participation from leaders of 16 parliamentary parties, including Nepali Congress Chair Sher Bahadur Deuba, who are expected to deliver goodwill messages during the opening ceremony.
Here is the time line of the CPN-UML
UML gears up for 11th General Convention
· 1949 April – The original Nepal Communist Party was founded during the Rana regime by Pushpalal Shrestha, Niranjan Govinda Bheday, Narbahadur Karmacharya, Narayanvilas Joshi, and Motidevi Shrestha.
· 1954 January– First underground General Convention held; Manmohan Adhikari became leader.
· 1957 September/October– First open General Convention; Dr. Keshar Jung Rayamajhi elected leader; Pushpalal Shrestha’s revolutionary line adopted.
· 1960 December – King Mahendra seized power; Rayamajhi welcomed it, Pushpalal opposed it.
· 1962 April – Third General Convention held in Banaras, India; Tulsi Lal Amatya elected General Secretary.
· 1972–1973– Jhapa district committee adopted armed struggle; leaders like KP Sharma Oli emerged.
· 1978 December – National conference in Itahari formally established CPN (ML); merged with Mukti Morcha, Eastern Red Flag, Western Red Flag; CP Mainali elected General Secretary.
· 1989 March/April D – Fourth General Convention held in Siraha; CPN (ML) abandoned Maoist ideology, adopted peaceful politics; Madan Bhandari became leader.
· 1991 January – CPN (ML) and CPN (Marxist) merged to form CPN-UML; Manmohan Adhikari Chairperson, Madan Bhandari General Secretary.
· 1993 February – Fifth General Convention: Party adopted multiparty democracy principles.
· 1993 June– General Secretary Madan Bhandari died in Dasdhunga, Chitwan.
· 1998– Sixth General Convention in Nepalganj; first elected central committee; KP Sharma Oli’s multiparty democracy strategy adopted; Manmohan Adhikari Chairperson, Madhav Nepal General Secretary.
· 2000– Party split; Sahana Pradhan and Bamdev Gautam formed CPN (ML); CP Mainali stayed in CPN (ML).
· 2002– Large portion of CPN (ML) reintegrated into CPN-UML after electoral defeat.
· 1999 April– Manmohan Adhikari passed away; General Secretary system adopted.
· 2003 February AD – Seventh General Convention: Madhav Kumar Nepal became sole office-bearer and General Secretary.
· 2005, February – King Gyanendra seize complete, direct power and declared a state of emergency
· 2006 April AD – Parliamentary restoration in Nepal.
· 2008 April AD – First Constituent Assembly election; CPN-UML became third party; Madhav Nepal resigned as General Secretary.
· 2008 February AD – Eighth General Convention: collective leadership adopted; KP Sharma Oli’s multipost leadership proposal accepted; Vidyadevi Bhandari and Bamdev Gautam Vice-Chairs, Ishwar Pokhrel General Secretary.
· 2014 July AD – Ninth General Convention in Kathmandu; KP Sharma Oli elected Chairperson; Ishwar Pokhrel General Secretary.
· 2015–2018 AD – Post-constitution coalition with CPN-Maoist Center; two-thirds victory in elections;
2018 May – Merged to form unified Nepal Communist Party.
· 2021 March – Supreme Court split NCP back into CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Center; Madhav Nepal, Jhalnath Khanal, and others formed CPN (Unified Socialist).
· 2021 Novemeber– Tenth General convention in Chitwan: CPN-UML returned to original identity; KP Sharma Oli consolidated leadership.
