Nagarik Unmukti Party Chairperson Ranjita Shrestha has named Senior Vice-chairman Shiva Bastola as the party’s acting chairman.
Shrestha told Setopati that she assigned the responsibility of acting chairman to Bastola on Saturday.
She said that since the party statute grants the chairperson the authority to appoint an acting chairperson, Bastola was appointed accordingly.
Bastola is from Pokhara.
According to an NUP leader, Bastola's name is not included in the 21-member central committee list submitted to the Election Commission during the party's formation. "Therefore, the Election Commission does not recognize Bastola," the leader said.
Bastola is considered close to Chairperson Shrestha and party patron Resham Chaudhary.
NUP Chairperson Shrestha was implicated in a bribery deal related to the illegal acquisition of public land in Batulechaur of Pokhara. Recently, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) also recorded her statement.
Additionally, patron Resham Chaudhary had demanded that Shrestha respond to the allegations in the central committee and warned her against evading accountability.
