CPN (Maoist Center) has proposed to change the party’s name and election symbol.
Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal proposed so in the report presented during the party’s standing committee meeting held from January 26 to February 4.
Office Secretary of the party Dor Prasad Upadhyaya told Setopati that the meeting passed the proposal and it will be taken to the central committee for decision. He added that discussion on the issue will also be held during the two-month campaign to build party organization.
“The issue of changing the party’s name and election symbol has been debated for a long time. Discussions will be held down to the lower committees this time. Additional discussion on the issue will be held in the central committee meeting to be held in two months. Decision can be taken if the meeting deems it necessary,” Upadhyaya added.
The party had tried to form socialist center by unifying with other communist parties before the election and had even held discussion for that with CPN (Unified Socialist) and Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) but to no avail. A few Maoist leaders had proposed changing the party’s name and election symbol at that time.
Nepal Samajwadi Party Chairman Baburam Bhattarai has also put the condition of changing the party’s name for unification with Maoist Center.
Maoist Vice-chairman Pampha Bhusal said that formal discussion on the issue has not yet started but Upadhyaya pointed that leaders have concluded that the main reason for fall in party’s votes in the last election was the party’s name and election symbol.
He reasoned that people look at it with the view point of past when the party is named Maoist Center and added that there is need to change the party’s name and election symbol to give a message that the erstwhile rebels have changed now.
