Kathmandu, June 28 -- Former Nepali President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has announced her return to active politics as a member of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML).

The announcement by the former President comes after a month of her visit to China. Bhandari, leading a delegation of 14 members, was on a 10-day visit to China, where she had interactions and meetings with Chinese officials.

The announcement by the former President has invited intra-party rift within the ruling party, which is also the largest communist party in the House of Representatives of the Himalayan nation. Former President Bhandari made the announcement on the birth anniversary of her late husband and former leader of the CPN-UML, M...