KATHMANDU, July 26: The Election Commission (EC) on Sunday recognized the faction of Madhesi People´s Rights´ Forum (MPRF) led by Upendra Yadav as the official MPRF, ending nearly two-month long dispute in the fourth largest party in the Constituent Assembly. [break]
The EC further said that it would allow another faction led by Deputy Prime Minister Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar to register either as a separate political party or as a separate outfit of the same political party. The EC decision means that the fourth largest party has now officially split.
A three-member bench comprising EC commissioners took the unanimous decision at the end of a day-long hearing, as it found a majority of central committee members of MPRF supporting Yadav. Altogether 25 out of 42 central committee members supported Yadav.
Senior leader of the Gachchhadar-faction Upendra Jha told myrepublica.com after the EC decision that they would most likely register a separate group of the MPRF on Monday. The new party will be named as Madhesi People´s Rights Forum Nepal (Loktantrik), Jha said. According to him, the faction will also move the Supreme Court against the EC´s decision.
Earlier, the Gachchhadar faction had claimed that the party´s central committee comprised 35 members against the 42 claimed by Yadav. The former faction had also claimed majority accordingly, as it had the support of 19 central committee members. The EC, however, did not recognize the support of two members to Gachchhadar faction as they had joined the Gachchchadar-faction recently.
The crack in the party began on June 4 after Gachchhadar joined the UML-led collation as the deputy prime minister, something the Yadav-faction disapproved of. The Yadav faction then retaliated by expelling seven leaders, including Gachchhadar on June 5, prompting the latter to move the EC with the claim of being the official MPRF.
Despite the EC´s decision in his favor, MPRF Chairman Yadav was not happy. He said that EC should not have recognized the seven expelled leaders. Had the EC not recognized the support of the expelled leaders, the Gachchhadar faction would not have garnered the support of 40 per cent central committee members required to register a new party.
“The decision is not legitimate and judicious,” Yadav reacted to the EC decision, “The EC should not have allowed them (Gachchhadar faction) to register a separate group of the same party.”
Earlier, the EC had held a day-long hearing on the dispute. Six lawyers each from both the factions had pleaded before the bench of Acting Chief Commissioner Neel Kantha Uprety, and commissioners Dolakh Bahadur Gurung and Ayodhi Prasad Yadav, said Bupendra Poudel, joint secretary at the EC.
kiran@myrepublica.com
koshraj@myrepublica.com
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