Janamat Party Chairman CK Raut and Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP) Patron Resham Chaudhary have started decisive discussions regarding party unification.
Janamat Chairman Raut and NUP Patron Chaudhary started a meeting in Bardiya on Sunday morning.
Janamat Vice-chairman Abdul Khan informed that the two top leaders are meeting at Resham Chaudhary’s residence in Bardiya to finalize all aspects of the unification.
“They will present proposals on behalf of their respective parties. Once the basic issues are resolved between them, a task force comprising three leaders from each party will convene to give it a final shape,” Khan said.
According to Khan, who is also the coordinator of the party unification task force from Janamat, the only thing left to decide is the name of the unified party.
Currently, discussions are ongoing about whether to name it the “Nagarik Janamat Party” or just the “Janamat Party.” These two names had been proposed earlier as well.
“We have proposed keeping it as Janamat Party. They [NUP] have proposed Nagarik Janamat Party. The two top leaders will finalize this,” Khan told Setopati.
According to Khan, the election symbol has already been decided. In earlier discussions between the two leaders, it was agreed that NUP’s election symbol, “Dhakia” (a traditional basket), would be adopted as the symbol of the unified party.
It has been agreed that CK Raut will lead the unified party. Since Janamat Party is larger in size both in the federal parliament and provinces, and has crossed the three percent threshold in the proportional representation system of the House of Representatives to become a national party, Resham Chaudhary is ready to let Janamat take leadership.
NUP Chairperson Ranjita Shrestha will serve as the co-chairperson of the unified party. A proposal for a dual-chairperson system was also put forward, with Raut as the first-ranking chairperson, but it has now been agreed to adopt a single-chairperson system with Raut leading it, as confirmed by Janamat Vice-Chairman Khan.
NUP Patron Chaudhary will remain the patron of the unified party. Both parties have urged other like-minded forces to join the polarization efforts. Nepal Samajwadi Party (Naya Shakti) Vice-Chairperson Manushi Yami Bhattarai attended NUP’s recent central committee meeting to extend good wishes for the unification.
Janamat and NUP want the NSP (Naya Shakti) to join the unification process as well. Apart from extending good wishes, NSP (Naya Shakti) Chairman Baburam Bhattarai has not made any concrete statements on this matter.
However, NUP Patron Chaudhary has held discussions with Bhattarai as well.
Janamat Vice-Chairman Khan stated that after the two top leaders finalize the unification framework on Sunday, a task force meeting will follow.
Janamat has formed a unification task force led by Khan, with Sharad Singh Yadav and Bal Govind Chaudhary as members.
NUP has also formed a unification task force comprising House of Representatives members Ganga Chaudhary, Sunita Chaudhary, and Ram Lal Dagora Tharu.
The task force held a meeting on March 24 to initiate discussions.
NUP has called a central committee meeting in Tikapur, Kailali, on April 16. The plan is to endorse the unification proposal prepared by the task force in that meeting, but both parties are set to finalize the unification even before that.
If Janamat and NUP unite, their number of federal lawmakers will equal that of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Socialist). However, the Unified Socialist could not cross the three percent threshold in proportional representation system to become a national party.
In the House of Representatives, Janamat has six lawmakers, and NUP has 4. Janamat is currently leading the Madhesh government, with Satish Kumar Singh as the chief minister.
In Madhesh Province, Janamat has 13 lawmakers, while NUP has one. In Far West Province, NUP has seven lawmakers. In Lumbini Province, NUP has four lawmakers, and Janamat three.
