This is the user sandbox of PenGear. A user sandbox is a subpage of the user's user page. It serves as a testing spot and page development space for the user and is not an encyclopedia article. Create or edit your own sandbox here. Other sandboxes: Main sandbox | Template sandbox Finished writing a draft article? Are you ready to request review of it by an experienced editor for possible inclusion in Wikipedia? Submit your draft for review!

The predecessors of the CPN (UML) were the CPN (Marxist) led by former general secretary the Communist Party of Nepal, Man Mohan Adhikari and CPN (Marxist–Leninist) led by Madan Bhandari. CPN (Marxist) was the successor to CPN (Pushpa Lal) which was founded by the founding general secretary of the Communist Party of Nepa, Pushpa Lal Shrestha.^[1] CPN (Marxist–Leninist) had its origins in the 1969 Jhapa rebellion. The conflict took it's inspiration the Naxalite movement in India and began after land reform programs were introduced by King Mahendra in 1964.^[2]

The two parties were constituents of the United Left Front which was formed in 1990 to protest against the Panchayat system. The front along with Nepali Congress helped restore multi party democracy in the country after the 1990 revolution. On 6 January 1991, ahead of the 1991 general election, the first parliamentary elections in the country in three decades, the two parties merged to form the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) with Adhikari serving as the party's first chairman.^[3][4]

In the 1991 election, the party won 69 out of 205 seats in the House of Representatives and was the second largest parliamentary group.^[5] Man Mohan Adhikari was elected as the parliamentary party leader and became the Leader of the Opposition. The fifth party congress was held in Kathmandu in January 1993 and People's Multiparty Democracy was adopted as the party line.^[6] The congress also elected Adhikari as the party chairman and Madan Bhandari as the general secretary.^[7] Later in the year however, Bhandari was killed in a vehicle accident in Chitwan and Madhav Kumar Nepal became general secretary.^[3] In November 1993, veteran communist leader Tulsi Lal Amatya's group merged in the party.^[7]

Following the 1994 election, the party became the largest parliamentary group winning 88 out of 205 seats and formed the first CPN (UML) government. Man Mohan Adhikari became prime minister and formed a minority government with the support of Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Nepal Sadbhwana Party which lasted for nine months. Adhikari dismissed the House of Representatives, and called for new elections after losing the support of his coalition partners, but the move was dismissed by the Supreme Court after a legal challenge by Nepali Congress.^[8][9] In 1997 the party supported the minority government of Rastriya Prajatantra Party which lasted for seven months. Following disagreements about the Mahakali treaty, the party faced a split in March 1998. Bam Dev Gautam reconstituted the CPN (Marxist–Leninist) with 46 MPs from the party. In December 1998, the party supported the Nepali Congress–Nepal Sadbhawana Party government.^[3][5]

The Nepali Congress formed a majority government following the 1999 election and the CPN (UML) became the main opposition winning 70 seats. Following party chairman Adhikari's death in 1999, general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal became the leader of the party. CPN (Burma) merged into the party on 28 June 2001 and CPN (Marxist–Leninist) reunified with the party on 15 February 2002.^[10] A group led by Chandra Prakash Mainali opposed the unification and opted to reconsitute the party. The party held it's seventh general convention in Febraury 2003 in Janakpur. Nepal was reelected as the general secretary and the post of party chair which had remained vacant after the death of Adhikari was abolished.^[3]

When King Gyanendra dissolved Parliament and sacked Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba of Nepali Congress in 2003, five other parties protested his decision. However, when Deuba was reinstated CPN (UML) joined the provisional government with Bharat Mohan Adhikari as deputy prime minister. This government was dissolved by the king on 1 February 2005 and the Seven Party Alliance was formed to protest his decision. Following an agreement with the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), a joint struggle was launched against the king's direct rule. On 10 April 2006, the parliament was reconvened by the king and a government was formed under Congress leader Girija Prasad Koirala.^[3]

In the 2008 Constituent Assembly elections, the party won 108 of 605 seats and finished third. Madhav Kumar Nepal resigned as general secretary, and was replaced by Jhala Nath Khanal. The party backed Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) candidate Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and joined his government in August 2008.^[11] Khanal was elected party chairman and Ishwor Pokhrel general secretary by the eighth general convention in Butwal in February 2009.

In early May 2009, the CPN (UML) joined several other parties in leaving Dahal's coalition government after he sacked Army Chief of Staff Rookmangud Katawal.^[12] Following their withdrawal, they formed a new coalition government with the Nepali Congress and the Madhesi Jana Adhikar Forum under Madhav Kumar Nepal.^[13] Nepal resigned in June 2010 after failing to draft a new constitution.^[14] Following more than seven months of political stalemate, Khanal was elected prime minister in February 2011 with support from the UCPN (Maoist).^[15] He resigned in August after he failed to reach a consensus with the other parties on drafting a new constitution and the peace process.^[15] The party joined the next government, led by Baburam Bhattarai, on 28 August 2011.^[16] In November 2012, Ashok Kumar Rai broke away from the party along with other indigenous leaders and formed the Federal Socialist Party claiming that the party failed to address their concerns during the discussions for promulgation of the constitution.^[17]

Following Bhattarai's dissolution of the 1st Constituent Assembly after its failure to draft a new constitution before the deadline,^[18] the CPN (UML) became the second-largest party after winning 175 of 575 elected seats in the 2013 elections. The party joined a coalition government under Sushil Koirala with the ruling Nepali Congress and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party.^[19] In July 2014, Khadga Prasad Oli became party chair after he defeated Madhav Kumar Nepal in the party's ninth general convention.^[20]

The new constitution was delivered by the coalition government on 20 September 2015.^[21] After the new constitution was drafted, Sushil Koirala resigned and party chairman Khadga Prasad Oli was elected prime minister with support from the UCPN (Maoist), the Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal and other parties.^[22] Oli resigned in July 2016 before a motion of no confidence supported by the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre).^[23]

In the 2017 local elections, 14,099 councilors, including 294 municipal mayors and rural chairs, were elected from the party to local governments. Candidates for the party were elected as mayors in major cities, including the two largest cities Kathmandu and Pokhara Lekhnath.^[24][25]

The party announced an alliance with the CPN (Maoist Centre) before the 2017 legislative and provincial elections.^[26] The party won 121 seats, becoming the largest party in the House of Representatives,^[27] and became the largest party in six of Nepal's seven provinces.^[28] After the election, the party maintained its alliance with the CPN (Maoist Centre) and formed coalition governments in Nepal's centre and six of the seven provinces. According to the power-sharing agreement, the CPN (UML) would lead governments in Province 1, Province 3, Province 4 and Province 5.^[29] In accordance with the agreement Sher Dhan Rai, Dormani Paudel, Prithivi Subba Gurung and Shankar Pokharel were appointed as chief ministers of their respective provinces.^{[30][31][32][33]}

In the 6 February 2018 National Assembly election, the CPN (UML) won 27 of 56 contested seats and again became the country's largest party.^[34] Party chairman Oli was elected the party's parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives and appointed prime minister on February 15.^[35] Bidya Devi Bhandari was re-elected president on March 13.^[36] After eight months of planning, the Unification Coordination Committee met to finalize plans for the merger of Nepal's biggest left-wing parties. On 17 May 2018, the party was dissolved and a new party, the Nepal Communist Party was formed from the CPN (UML) and the CPN (Maoist Centre).^[37][38][39]

On 8 March 2021, the Supreme Court of Nepal stated that the allocation of the name Nepal Communist Party upon the merger of the CPN (UML) and CPN (Maoist Centre), and by extension the merger itself, was void ab initio, as the name was already allotted to a party led by Rishiram Kattel, and that the NCP stood "dismissed".^[40] The Election Commission on 9 March 2021 formally split the party and the CPN (UML) was revived.^[41] Four members of the House of Representatives and one member of the National Assembly for CPN (Maoist Centre) also defected to CPN (UML) during the split but were dismissed as parliamentarians following their defection.^[42]

KP Sharma Oli lost a no-confidence motion on 9 May 2021 but was reappointed as prime minister four days later after the opposition failed to prove a majority.^[43] Chief minister of Gandaki, Prithvi Subba Gurung resigned before a no-confidence motion and chief Minister of Lumbini, Shankar Pokharel also lost a no-confidence motion but were similarly reappointed after the opposition failed to prove their majority.^{[44][45][46][47]}

A cabinet meeting chaired by prime minister and party chairman KP Sharma Oli recommended the president to dissolve the House of Representatives on 22 May 2021 after members of his party led by former prime ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhala Nath Khanal supported Nepali Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba as the next prime minister.^[48] The Supreme Court reinstated the House of Representatives on 12 July 2021 and Oli resigned from his post the next day and Deuba was appointed prime minister.^[49][50] Twenty-two members of the CPN (UML) voted for Deuba during his confidence vote defying the party whip.^[51]

The party also lost its government in Gandaki and Lumbini with Gurung losing a no-confidence motion and Pokharel resigning.^[52][53] Province 1 chief minister, Sher Dhan Rai and Bagmati chief minister Dormani Paudel were replaced in August of that year after losing support within their parliamentary party. They were replaced by Bhim Acharya and Asta Laxmi Shakya respectively who were elected by the parliamentary party.^[54][55]

On 25 August 2021, former prime ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhala Nath Khanal split from the party along with 55 members of the Central Committee, 25 members of the House of Representatives and seven members of the National Assembly and formed the CPN (Unified Socialist).^[56] Following the split, the party lost its majority in Bagmati and Province 1 and Shakya and Acharya resigned following which the party was in opposition in all seven provinces.^[57][58]

The 10th National Convention of the party was held in Chitwan between 26 and 29 November 2021. The convention reelected KP Sharma Oli as the party chair.^[59][60] Hridayesh Tripathi who had been elected to the House of Representatives from the CPN (UML) formed a separate party, the People's Progressive Party in December 2021.^[61][62] Bamdev Gautam who served as the senior vice-chairman left the party in September 2021 and in June 2022 announced the formation of CPN (Unity National Campaign).^[63][64]

In the 2022 local elections, 11,929 councillors were elected from the party including 206 mayors and rural chairs. The party lost their mayoral seats in Kathmandu and Pokhara and failed to win the mayoral elections in any of the six metropolitan cities in the country.

The party formed electoral pacts with People's Socialist Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party and other minor parties to contest the 2022 general and provincial elections. Former deputy prime minister and Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal chair Kamal Thapa also contested the election under the party's electoral symbol.^[65][66][67] Influential leaders and incumbent members of parliament including Bhim Rawal, Ghanashyam Bhusal and Ram Bir Manandhar were denied tickets from the party. Bhusal and Manandhar later filed their candidacy as independents.^[68][69] Leaders associated with former MP Prabhu Sah who had joined the party from CPN (Maoist Centre) in 2021 also decided to contest the election as independents following dissatisfaction with the electoral pact with People's Socialist Party in Madhesh. The three leaders were later supported by the Democratic Left Alliance during the elections.^[70][71] Later leaders including Prabhu Sah and Ram Bir Manandhar formed Aam Janata Party.^[72][73]

The party won in 44 constituencies at the 2022 general election. The party got the most votes through proportional voting and won an additional 34 seats for a total of 78 seats to the House of Representatives making them the second largest parliamentary party.^[74] The party also emerged as the largest party in provincial assemblies in Province 1, Madhesh and Lumbini at the 2022 provincial elections.^[75]

The party backed CPN (Maoist Centre) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal's bid to become prime minister and joined a coalition government under him on 26 December 2022. Bishnu Prasad Paudel joined the cabinet as deputy prime minister and Minister of Finance along with three other CPN (UML) MPs but the alliance couldn't last more than 2 months.^[76] In the by-elections held in Bara 2, Tanahun 1 and Chitwan 2, the party was limited to third position in all these constituincies and couldn't cross 15% votes in any.^[77][78]

Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Socialist) नेपाल कम्युनिष्ट पार्टी (एकीकृत समाजवादी)
Abbreviation	CPN (US) or CPN (Unified Socialist)
Chairman	Madhav Kumar Nepal
General Secretary	Ghanashyam Bhusal
Founded	18 August 2021
Registered	25 August 2021
Split from	CPN (UML)
Headquarters	Min Bhawan, Aaloknagar, Kathmandu
Newspaper	Kalam News[79]
Student wing	All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU)[80]
Youth wing	Youth Federation Nepal[80]
Women's wing	All Nepal Women's Association (Socialist)[80]
Labour wing	Integrated Centre of Trade Unions, Nepal
Peasant's wing	All Nepal Peasants Association
Membership (2021)	146,715[81]
Ideology	Communism Marxism–Leninism People's Multiparty Democracy[82][83]
Political position	Left-wing
International affiliation	International Peoples' Assembly
Alliance	Samajbadi Morcha[84]
House of Representatives	10 / 275
National Assembly	8 / 59
Provincial Assemblies	25 / 550
Chief Ministers	1 / 7
Mayors/Chairs	25 / 753
Councillors	986 / 35,011
Election symbol
Party flag
Website
www.cpnus.org.np
Politics of Nepal Political parties Elections

Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Socialist) is a communist party in Nepal, founded in 2021. The current chairman of the party is Madhav Kumar Nepal. The party was formed as a result of a split in the Communist Party of Nepal (UML).

The party holds 10 out of 275 seats in the House of Representatives, 8 out of 59 seats in the National Assembly and has representation in six out of seven provincial assemblies.

• Madhav Kumar Nepal (2021–present)

• Rajendra Prasad Pandey (2021–present)
• Pramesh Kumar Hamal (2021–present)
• Dhanendra Basnet (2021–present)
• Keshav Lal Shrestha (2021–present)
• Dharmanath Prasad Sah (2021–present)
• Jayanti Devi Rai (2021–present)
• Beduram Bhusal (2023–present)

• Beduram Bhusal (2021–2023)
• Ghanashyam Bhusal (2023–present)

• Madhav Kumar Nepal (2021–present)

Province	Portrait	Name Constituency	Tenure			Assembly (election)
			Took office	Left office	Duration
Koshi		Rajendra Kumar Rai Bhojpur 1(B) Cabinet	2 November 2021	9 January 2023	1 year, 68 days	1st (2017)
Bagmati		Rajendra Pandey Dhading 1(A) Cabinet	27 October 2021	23 December 2022	1 year, 51 days	1st (2017)
Sudurpashchim		Dirgha Bahadur Sodari Kailali 4(B) Cabinet	18 April 2024	Incumbent	158 days	2nd (2022)

Following the 2022 general election, CPN (Unified Socialist) hold ten seats in the House of Representatives.

The party also holds eight seats in the National Assembly

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).