The Election Commission (EC) on Friday has endorsed the name of ruling Communist Party of Nepal (CPN).
An EC bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhi Prasad Yadav conducted a hearing on the complaint filed by Chairman of Communist Party of Nepal Rishi Raj Kattel on Wednesday.
The EC had called both the parties for the hearing. Former attorney general Mukti Pradhan and advocate Baburam Dahal had represented the ruling party while Kattel and advocate Dandapani Paudel had argued for deregistration of the ruling party.
The EC ruled that the names Communist Party of Nepal and Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) are different.
Communist Party of Nepal was already registered under Kattel at the EC when the party formed after unification of the then CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Center) was registered as the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN). Kattel had then complained with the EC for deregistration of Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) claiming that the name belongs to his party.
The EC has ruled that registration of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) formed after unification of UML and Maoist Center will remain and the decision of the party taken on May 17 is in accordance to the law. The EC has also revoked the complaint of Kattel about the name.
The united party had applied with the EC for registration On May 17. The united party had initially applied for registration as Communist Party of Nepal, with the name underlined. But the EC refused to register the underlined name.
The party was later registered as Communist Party of Nepal (CPN).
