Nepal’s ex-president Bidya Devi Bhandari returns to active politics, rejoins CPN-UML

Nepal’s former President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Saturday (June 28, 2025) announced that she has rejoined active politics by renewing her membership of the ruling CPN-UML, nearly a decade after she left the party to assume the country’s top constitutional post.

Ms. Bhandari, 62, made the announcement while addressing a programme organised in Kathmandu by the Madan Bhandari Foundation to mark the 74th birth anniversary of her late husband and former Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) General Secretary Madan Bhandari.

“I have renewed my membership of CPN-UML with an objective of giving continuity to the party’s political journey,” Ms. Bhandari said at the function, which was also attended by Prime Minister K. P. Oli.

Mr. Oli is also the incumbent chairman of CPN-UML.

“Now, I am reunited with the CPN-UML as a member of this family, and I feel proud of this,” Ms. Bhandari said.

The former President’s return to active politics comes amid growing speculation about her future role within the CPN-UML. Over the past few months, she has been holding interactions with party leaders and cadres across the country, fuelling rumours that she may be eyeing a larger role in party leadership.

Political experts opine that Ms. Bhandari’s decision to rejoin CPN-UML might pose a threat to Mr. Oli, who is enjoying “a kind of monopoly” in the ruling party.

Quoting party insiders, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported that Ms. Bhandari could challenge Mr. Oli in CPN-UML’s next general convention. Mr. Oli, who has led the party since 2014, is said to be seeking a third term as chief.

Speaking at the same event, Prime Minister Oli asserted that CPN-UML was united and warned against attempts to divide it.

Without naming anyone, he said, “Do not dream of splitting the UML.”

Mr. Oli also urged party members to focus on the next general elections, scheduled to be held in 2027-28.

Adding to the political significance of her move, Ms. Bhandari recently undertook a 10-day visit to China from May 24, during which she held meetings with high-ranking officials.

The visit drew attention in Nepal, with observers interpreting it as an effort to boost her political clout.

Ms. Bhandari’s re-entry into party politics has sparked debate in Nepal’s political circles.

It is not common for a former President to return to party politics, although there may be no legal restriction, senior journalist and political analyst Dhurva Hari Adhikary said.

It may raise moral questions, even if it remains a personal decision, he added.

Ms. Bhandari served as Nepal’s President for two consecutive terms between 2015 and 2023. She had relinquished her party membership after being elected to the largely ceremonial post in October 2015, becoming the country’s first woman Head of State.

Before her elevation to the presidency, Ms. Bhandari was a senior CPN-UML leader and had served as the party’s vice-chairperson. She was also the Defence Minister in the Madhav Kumar Nepal-led government in 2009.

Ms. Bhandari is the widow of Madan Bhandari, a popular Marxist leader who died in a controversial jeep accident in 1993. The incident was widely seen as suspicious, and investigations at the time failed to conclusively establish the cause of the crash.