Kathmandu: Months after youth-led mass protests forced him from power, K.P. Sharma Oli has cemented his grip on Nepal’s political opposition by winning a third consecutive term as chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), the country’s second-largest political party.Oli’s decisive victory at this week’s party convention signals that despite the public backlash following the September 8-9 demonstrations that toppled his government and dissolved parliament, Oli retains overwhelming support within party ranks. Of the 2,227 delegates who voted, he got 1,663 votes – nearly 75% – while his challenger, Ishwar Pokharel, managed only 564 votes.Oli’s dominance within the CPN-UML stretches back nearly a decade. He first claimed the chairmanship in 2015 by defeating Madhav Kumar Nepal and then secured a second term in 2021 against Bhim Rawal. Both rivals have since defected to join a competing communist faction led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal.Nepal’s government signs an agreement with various ‘Gen Z’ groups on December 10, 2025. Photo: X/@pmsushilakarki.Since 2015, Oli has systematically marginalised opponents while cultivating support among royalist elements – a notable strategy in a country that abolished monarchy in 2008. His approach has transformed the CPN-UML from a party with multiple power centres into one firmly under his control.The party convention took place under unusual pressure. Following the September protests, in which thousands of young Nepalis demanded political change, party leaders urged Oli to step down. They argued his leadership would doom the party’s prospects in elections scheduled for March 5, 2026. The youth movement’s central message called for generational change in Nepal’s political leadership.Yet, the election results show that rank and file party members disagreed with these assessments. Oli’s allies swept nearly every significant position. In the race for general secretary, his supporter Shankar Pokharel retained the post with 1,228 votes against challenger Surendra Pandey’s 999. Of all office bearer positions, the Pokharel faction managed to secure only two, Gokarna Bista and Yogesh Bhattarai.The election also served as a referendum on former President Bidya Devi Bhandari’s influence within the party. Bhandari, who served as Nepal’s ceremonial head of state from 2015 to 2023, threw her weight behind Ishwar Pokharel’s challenge. The strategy was clear – if Pokharel won, Bhandari would return to active CPN-UML politics.Oli had blocked that path by cancelling Bhandari’s party membership. Pokharel’s poor showing, securing barely a quarter of the vote, suggests Bhandari’s political capital within the party is limited. Her bid to shape the party’s future through a proxy candidate fell decisively short.Oli now enters a four-year term leading the opposition during a period of political uncertainty. Since being ousted by the protests, he has rejected calls for new elections, instead demanding parliament’s restoration. He characterises the current interim government under Chief Justice Sushila Karki, who assumed temporary executive authority following the crisis, as unconstitutional.This stance sets up potential confrontation. Oli has declared he will not cooperate with the commission investigating the September 8-9 events. He maintains that “external forces” orchestrated the protests to remove him due to his nationalist positions, a claim widely interpreted as directed at India, Nepal’s southern neighbour.Oli’s relationship with India has defined much of his political career. He first became prime minister in 2016 during an Indian economic blockade that severely disrupted Nepal’s imports. He served again in 2018 and most recently in 2024 before the youth-led uprising forced him from office.