The CPN (Unified Socialist) is on the brink of a major split due to internal disputes. After the Central Committee decided on Friday to pursue a merger with the CPN (Maoist Centre), senior leaders Jhalanath Khanal and General Secretary Ghanashyam Bhusal held a separate meeting on Saturday expressing dissent.

According to party insiders, a new faction named “CPN Unified Socialist (Bhusal Group)” is being formed under Bhusal’s leadership. While Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal’s faction prepares for unity with the Maoists, Bhusal’s camp has called for a Central Committee meeting to reorganize the party.

Leader Damodar Aryal stated that the group has urged all members to stand for party reformation. The meeting was attended by leaders including Khanal, Bhusal, Ram Kumari Jhakri, and Jeevan Ram Shrestha. Around 158 of the party’s 455 Central Committee members reportedly support the reorganization.

Meanwhile, dissenting leaders are in informal talks with the UML. UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has invited disgruntled Unified Socialist leaders to “return home.” However, sources say Oli remains cautious about readmitting Khanal and Bhusal.

Bhusal, on the other hand, favors creating a new leftist alliance under young leadership, arguing that previous left unity efforts served personal interests rather than national progress.
The CPN (Unified Socialist) was formed on August 18, 2021, after splitting from the UML under Madhav Kumar Nepal’s leadership. Despite winning 10 seats in the 2022 general election, it failed to qualify as a national party.