Kathmandu, July 20 -- UML, Nepal's largest communist party, has witnessed the most vivid signs of a factional feud, nearly four years after KP Sharma Oli was elected to the top party position through the 10th general convention.

Senior party leaders have remained sharply divided during the party's top committee meetings after former President Bidya Devi Bhandari, who announced she was rejoining the old party last month, expedited her activities apparently with a plan to challenge Oli's leadership.

There was no powerful leader to challenge Oli in the party after a group of top leaders including two former prime ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhala Nath Khanal quit the UML and formed the CPN (Unified Socialist) in 2021.

The politburo m...