Kathmandu, Jan. 5 -- Two years ago, when the CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Centre) leaderships were working to announce the merger of the two parties, there were concerns and apprehensions among the rank and file of the two parties.

Second and third rung leaders expressed their concerns privately, but in public, they toed their leaderships' line. Leaders from both parties knew that the merger was a compulsion-more for the Maoist party than the UML. Maoist leaders, hence, were more apprehensive. The parties merged in May 2018 to become the Nepal Communist Party (NCP).

Now, as the party is attempting to conclude the unification process, leaders representing the Maoist party are increasingly insecure, as they see former UML leaders dominating-fr...