Yadav, Thakur to co-chair JSP-Nepal

KATHMANDU, JUNE 7

The newly formed Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal will have two leaders -- Mahantha Thakur and Upendra Yadav — as co-chairpersons.

Leaders associated with the party today decided to go for the two-chairpersons model as practised by the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP).

JSP-N leaders today submitted the names of their five office bearers, including two co-chairpersons, and 46 members of the executive committee to the Election Commission. Senior leaders Ashok Kumar Rai, former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai and Rajendra Mahato are among the five office bearers of the party.

Thakur was a member of the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal presidium, while Yadav was the chairperson of the Samajwadi Party-Nepal. The two parties unified to form JSP-N on April 22.

The party will add two more members to the executive committee, said JSP-N leader Keshav Jha.

The JSP-N executive committee includes Sharat Singh Bhandari, Mahendra Ray Yadav and Anil Kumar Jha.

Of the 51 names submitted to the Election Commission today, 26 are from RJP-N and 25 from SP-N, JSP-N leader Keshav Jha told THT.

JSP-N leader Mahato said the party would allot responsibility to office bearers and other top leaders after registering at the Election Commission.

The new party has decided to adopt RJP-N’s election symbol and SP-N’s flag as its new flag.

Mahato told THT that the formalisation of unity between the two outfits had paved the way for creating a democratic alternative force that could win rights for Madhesis, Janajatis, women, Dalits, Muslims, Tharus and other marginalised communities and groups of Tarai, hills and mountain region.

Mahato said his party would create a political committee of 151 members and a central committee of 701 members soon. JSP-N will hold a statute convention to adopt the party’s statute.

Later the party’s general convention will discuss the statute and adopt, reject or modify it. The date for GC has not been finalised.

A JSP-N source said there was a gentleman’s agreement about making Rajendra Mahato the parliamentary party leader and Baburam Bhattarai the chairperson of the federal council.

On April 23, JSP-N leaders had submitted an application at the Election Commission seeking to register their new party — Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal.

Joint Secretary at the Election Commission Laxmi Prasad Gautam said JSP-N leaders had submitted the names of the party’s key leaders and other documents, including photocopies of leaders’ citizenship certificates, party’s statute and other documents required for registration. The EC will have to decide within 45 days from today whether or not to register the party.

Gautam said the poll panel might ask the party to submit more documents, if necessary. The EC could give the party seven days within the next 45 days to submit additional documents, if necessary.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 8, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.