Resham Chaudhary, the patron of the Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP), has finally left the party he himself founded.
Long-standing disagreements and conflicts with his wife, Ranjita Shrestha, who is currently the chairperson of the NUP, have led them to part ways.
Earlier, Chaudhary appointed his father Lalbir as the party’s chairperson, replacing his wife Ranjita. However, the Election Commission refused to grant legitimacy to the decision. After this, patron Chaudhary had already begun considering a separate path.
On Sunday, he announced through Facebook Live that he would no longer remain with the NUP and that he would embark on a separate journey.
"I announce my separation from the NUP from today. I will not be in the Unmukti Party from today. I announce a separate campaign. I believe that the friends who understand my feelings and the essence of my movement will join hands with me," he said.
Speaking to Setopati, Chaudhary explained that he left the NUP because he failed to make the party follow his political philosophy, principles, ideology, and the path of the Tikapur rebellion, as well as to embrace its values.
"I left because I couldn’t implement my ideology and principles," he said.
Chaudhary said that he does not wish to blame anyone for this.
Chaudhary had formed the NUP from inside the Dilli Bazar Prison while serving a life sentence after being convicted as the main culprit in the Tikapur incident of August 24, 2015. Since he was proven guilty of a serious criminal offense and was serving a prison sentence, he had registered the party by making his wife Ranjita Shrestha the chairperson.
"There is no blame to assign to anyone. I don’t want to accuse anyone either. I thank everyone who has supported me on this journey so far," he said.
Chaudhary said that he will now form a new party, adding that this journey has already begun.
"I urge the friends who were with me during the party’s formation to join me. I believe that those who have faith in me and trust my leadership will join me," he said.
Chaudhary said that the party had deviated from the issue of identity tied to the Tikapur rebellion. He had to take a different route to preserve its essence, he added.
"The party veered away from the track of the identity issue. Therefore, I have announced the formation of a new party to address the pain and expectations of all communities in this country through training. I will move forward by building this path," he said.
The NUP had a total of 16 lawmakers at the federal and provincial levels, with representation in Sudur Paschim, Lumbini, and Madhesh provinces. It has seven lawmakers in Sudur Paschim province, four in Lumbini, and one in Madhesh.
At the federal level, it had four lawmakers: Ranjita (his wife), Lalbir (his father), Arun Chaudhary, and Gangaram Chaudhary.
Differences had surfaced between Chaudhary and his wife Ranjita after he was released from prison upon receiving a pardon for the remainder of his sentence from President Ram Chandra Paudel.
In December 2023, he held the party’s first general convention and got himself elected as chairperson, but the Election Commission did not grant legitimacy to it.
On July 30 this year, he organized a national gathering and removed his wife Ranjita from the chairperson’s position, appointed his father, Lalbir, as the new chairperson.
The Election Commission refused to validate this move, too, citing that Lalbir was not among the 21 founding members of the NUP. Additionally, the Commission declared the national gathering illegal, stating that only the chairperson has the authority to call such a gathering.
