KATHMANDU, March 22: CK Raut's Janamat Party and Ranjita Shrestha-led Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP), with Resham Chaudhary as patron, have almost finalized their merger plans.
A NUP leader stated that most central members expressed support for the merger during the central committee meeting that began on Friday. The main discussion revolved around whether to accept CK Raut as chairman if the merger between NUP and Janamat Party proceeds. The majority of central members agreed to move forward with the merger, even if it meant accepting Raut as chairman.
"Most central members of NUP expressed optimism about merging with the Janamat Party during the meeting. The discussion focused on whether to accept Rautji as the president of the unified party," said Rajan Gurung, Central Deputy General Secretary of NUP. "While most central members supported accepting Raut as chairman, the task force the party formed on Saturday will make the formal decision."
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Gurung added that the NUP central committee meeting, concluding on Saturday, will form a three-member task force to handle the merger with Janamat Party. This task force will work with Janamat's task force to finalize the merger's framework, structure, unified party name, flag, election symbol, and other related issues. The task force is expected to submit its report within three to seven days.
Similarly, Janamat Party has formed its own task force in mid-March, including Vice Chairman Abdul Khan, spokesperson Sharat Singh Yadav, and Secretary Balgovinda Chaudhary. The Janamat Party's central committee meeting, held on March 8 and 9 in Bardibas, formally decided to merge with NUP and establish a three-member task force to prepare a framework for the merger.
Spokesperson Yadav commented, "Our party has already formally decided to merge with NUP. Therefore, the question of whether the merger will happen is no longer up for discussion. We have formed a three-member task force to address the remaining issues for the merger."
The NUP central committee has 216 members, with 180 participating in Friday's meeting, which was also attended by patron Chaudhary. According to a leader present at the meeting, party chairman Shrestha also expressed support for merging with Janamat. Talks about the merger have been ongoing for the past two to three months.
Janamat Party holds six seats in the House of Representatives, including one directly elected member, while NUP holds four seats. Following the recent elections, Janamat successfully became a national party, while NUP did not. If the two parties merge, they will form the largest party focused on the Terai/Madhesh region.
The newly formed party from the merger will surpass JSP in size. Sources say that both Janamat Party chairman CK Raut and NUP patron Resham Chaudhary are enthusiastic about the merger. The two leaders have had frequent discussions, with Chaudhary proposing Raut as the chairman. If Raut becomes chairman, Shrestha will take the second or third priority.