Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) Chairman Upendra Yadav has sought explanation from nine party leaders who have joined the Cabinet of Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli.
JSP executive member Ramsahay Prasad Yadav told Setopati that explanation has been sought from Raj Kishore Yadav, Anil Kumar Jha, Sharad Singh Bhandari, Chanda Chaudhary, Uma Shankar Argariya, Iqbal Miya, Bimal Srivastav, Chandra Kant Chaudhary and Renuka Gurung—the first seven are ministers and the last two state ministers—on charge of violating party discipline by joining the Oli government against the party decision.
The Yadav-Bhattarai faction had warned the party leaders to not join the Oli government but the Thakur-Mahato faction joined the governemnt.
Upendra Yadav has already expelled JSP Chairman Mahantha Thakur, Rajendra Mahato, Laxman Lal Karna and Sarbendra Nath Shukla with support of the majority of executive committee.
The Thakur-Mahato faction immediately expelled Upendra Yadav in retaliation.
The Election Commission, meanwhile, has decided to not recognize the action by the two factions. A meeting of the Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya and Commissioners Janaki Kumari Tuladhar, Ram Prasad Bhandari and Ishwori Prasad Paudyal on Sunday decided to not officially recognize action by both the factions.
Both the factions had applied with the Election Commission to update the details submitted by the party by removing the leaders expelled by the their respective factions. "One chairman called for expulsion of the other. We have said that cannot be done as per the Act related to political parties," Election Commission Spokesperson Raj Kumar Shrestha told Setopati.
The Election Commission said the previously submitted details about party office-bearers will remain official as per Clause 25(6) of the regulation related to political parties.
