The Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP) has picked Lalbir Chaudhary as its chairman.
The party’s national convention held in Baneshwar, Kathmandu, on Thursday decided to appoint Lalbir, a member of the House of Representatives and father of patron Resham Chaudhary, as chairman.
"After much deliberation, we reached the conclusion on the eighth day to change the chairperson," Lalbir told journalists. "I thank all federal and provincial lawmakers for their efforts toward this resolution. Having received the responsibility of chairman, I will lead the NUP forward in accordance with rules and procedures."
He also said that former chairperson Ranjita Shrestha had not held a meeting for one and a half years and urged her to come forward for consensus and cooperation.
He claimed that this resolution was arranged because the party plans to field a candidate in the by-election for the House of Representatives in Rupandehi Constituency No. 3 scheduled for November 3.
"Whatever statements she has made, we still ask her to at least attend meetings. We are ready to face the accusations she has made against party members," he said. "This arrangement was made for a resolution."
He added that he did not wish to say much about Shrestha.
In the last election, Lalbir ran as an independent candidate from Bardiya for the House of Representatives and was elected. Shortly after, he joined the NUP. However, he is not among the 21 founding members of the party.
The NUP was formed in 2021 while Resham Chaudhary was in jail. Resham registered the party with the Election Commission under his wife Ranjita’s leadership. After being released from jail following a pardon for the remaining sentence in the Tikapur case, Resham became party chairman in the first general convention held in January 2024. However, the Election Commission did not recognize it, and NUP reverted to its previous executive committee.
Resham has challenged the Election Commission’s decision in the Supreme Court, where the case is still pending. A central committee member of the NUP said that the case in the Supreme Court must be withdrawn or resolved for the new committee to be updated with the Election Commission.
However, Ranjita’s faction believes the Election Commission will not validate Lalbir’s leadership of the NUP committee.
Former chairperson Ranjita, who is also a House of Representatives member, is Resham’s wife and Lalbir’s daughter-in-law.
Ranjita was implicated in a bribe deal audio related to the land of Pokhara’s litchi orchard. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority even called her and sought clarification.
After landing in controversy, Ranjita had appointed Senior Vice-chairman Shiva Bastola as acting chairman.
Shrestha claims that an illegitimate national convention cannot remove her as party chairperson.
