KATHMANDU: Intense internal rifts have pushed the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) into a deeply entrenched crisis, as a two-thirds majority of office-bearers have openly demanded the resignation of Party Chairman KP Sharma Oli during the ongoing Central Secretariat meeting.

The high-stakes meeting, which began on Friday at Oli’s private residence in Gundu, Bhaktapur, is scheduled to conclude today (Sunday).

The session will culminate with Chairman Oli responding to the stinging criticisms and finalizing crucial organizational agendas.

The party’s top leadership became heavily polarized after Chairman Oli opened the floor by encouraging members to speak freely about the party’s future management.

Following his prompt, a sweeping majority of the 19-member Secretariat turned against the party head.

To date, 10 key members have spoken out in favor of an immediate party restructuring, citing disappointing electoral performances and organizational stagnation.

Strikingly, influential leaders who were historically viewed as staunch Oli loyalists—including General Secretary Shankar Pokharel, Vice Chairmans Bishnu Poudel and Prithvi Subba Gurung, and Deputy General Secretary Raghubir Mahaseth—strongly criticized the current leadership mechanism.

During Saturday’s session, Deputy General Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai explicitly demanded Oli’s resignation, while Mahaseth warned that the party risked a complete collapse under its current trajectory, despite Oli’s historical role in building it.

In a sharp and aggressive counter-response to the swelling dissent, Chairman Oli firmly rejected the demands to “pave the way forward,” emphasizing that he was legitimately elected through a democratic internal convention and would not yield to internal pressures.

As the confrontation escalated, Oli found himself increasingly isolated. According to internal sources, only Vice Chairman Ram Bahadur Thapa ‘Badal’ and Secretary Mahesh Basnet have openly stood by the Chairman to defend him.

Meanwhile, Deputy General Secretary Lekhraj Bhatta attempted to downplay the severity of the rift, labeling the resignation rumors as exaggerated media fabrications.

The final session of the Secretariat meeting resumes at 11:30 AM today.

With nearly all key vice-chairmen, general secretaries, and deputy general secretaries having aired their grievances, the floor will open for the remaining four office-bearers—Secretaries Sher Dhan Rai, Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal, Rajan Bhattarai, and Khagaraj Adhikari—to deliver their remarks.

Following their statements, Chairman Oli is scheduled to take the floor to address the questions, challenges, and concerns raised by the dissenting members.

In addition to handling the leadership dispute, the Secretariat is tasked with finalizing an 11-point agenda.

The meeting is expected to endorse the final division of responsibilities among leaders with some amendments, officially call for an upcoming Central Committee meeting, and announce the formation of specialized task forces dedicated to constitutional amendment and election review.