KATHMANDU: Amid deepening internal rifts, leaders of the CPN (UML) have openly called for leadership transition, urging party chair KP Sharma Oli to hand over responsibilities and pave the way for new leadership.

Speaking at the party’s 10th Central Committee meeting in Lalitpur, central committee member and former lawmaker Thakur Gaire said the current political and organizational situation demands a “leadership handover” to address growing challenges.

“Everything is collapsing. We must assess the situation critically and draw conclusions. The time has come to move forward by transferring leadership,” Gaire said, adding that past failures to safeguard left unity and implement constitutional amendments had weakened the party.

Echoing similar sentiments, central committee member Usha Kiran Timsena sharply criticized what she called the “destructive ambition of one individual,” urging the party not to let Oli’s personal interests derail the UML’s future.

“September 9 was a nightmare for the nation and the party. If we fail to learn from it, history will condemn us,” she said. “The UML, with its proud legacy, cannot become a reactionary force. The chairman should take moral responsibility and step aside.”

Timsena also denounced the inclusion of controversial figures like Durga Prasai, saying it symbolized ideological decay.

She argued that the UML must embrace organizational renewal and prepare for elections with new leadership, rather than clinging to failed structures.