Unified left party may not get name of ‘Communist Party of Nepal’

Kathmandu, February 20

The CPN-UML and the CPN-Maoist Centre, which have decided to unify their parties may not get the name of ‘Communist Party of Nepal’, as such a party already exists in the Election Commission’s list.

The UML and   CPN-MC yesterday signed a seven-point deal to unify the two parties and decided to name the new party ‘Communist Party of Nepal’.

The Rishi Ram Kattel-led ‘Communist Party of Nepal’ is already registered with the EC and has contested the provincial and parliamentary elections with the election symbol of spade and hammer.

Likewise, Netra Bikram Chand also leads the ‘Communist Party of Nepal’, but he has not registered the party with the EC.

Section 6 of the Act related to political parties has provisioned that a new party with the same name cannot be registered if a party is already registered with same name and same election symbol.

EC Spokesperson Navaraj Dhakal said that the poll panel would not register a new party with the same name if a party already exists with the EC. He, however, said the poll panel could register a party with the same name if a comma or full stop is different from the other party.

Dhakal said the EC would officially comment on the party’s name after the unified party came to register the new party.

The election body did not register the Rastriya Janata Party and provide an umbrella election symbol to Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal, as the name of the party and election symbol was already registered with the EC.

The RJP-N included Nepal in the party’s name and got an umbrella inside a circle as the poll symbol.

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