KATHMANDU, JULY 26

The Election Commission of Nepal has accorded legitimacy to claims of Upendra Yadav-Baburam Bhattarai faction of Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal.

The commission's decision to recognise Yadav-Bhattarai's side over Mahanta Thakur- Rajendra Mahato faction was based on the number of members that had signed for each of the group.

Earlier today, 34 executive members of the party had pledged allegiance to Yadav-Bhattarai faction before the Election Commission.

EC had previously said that its final judgement would be based on the majority of the Central Executive Committee members of the party in case of absence of written evidence for legitimacy claim.

Feud between two JSP-N factions had intensified with Thakur-Mahato faction's decision to support Oli's bid for prime ministership under Article 76 (5), and the Yadav-Bhattarai faction's decision to support Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba's bid for premiership under the same article.