KATHMANDU, July 31: The Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP) is heading toward a possible split as internal conflict escalates between party patron Resham Chaudhary and his wife and party Chairperson Ranjita Shrestha.
The party’s Disciplinary Committee, aligned with Resham, has decided to take action against Ranjita and is preparing to notify the Election Commission of its decision.
On Tuesday, a meeting of the Disciplinary Committee held in Dhangadhi decided to take action against Ranjita after she failed to respond to a 24-hour clarification notice issued by a majority of the central committee members during a meeting held last Sunday.
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“If she has been punished, the party is on the verge of a split,” a central committee member said.
Ranjita, who has been linked to a land misappropriation case involving Minister of Federal Affairs and General Administration Rajkumar Gupta, had earlier delegated responsibilities to the party’s senior vice-chair. As she is under investigation by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), the central committee had asked her to convene a meeting within 24 hours on July 25.
When she ignored the ultimatum, Resham Chaudhary’s faction convened a separate meeting and moved forward with disciplinary action. The party’s three-member disciplinary committee is headed by Ramlal Dagoura Tharu, with Pun Bahadur Budha and Sunita Chaudhary as members. However, Sunita is currently in custody in Kanchanpur in connection with a financial irregularities case.
A national gathering of the party is currently underway in Dhangadhi, reportedly focused on taking action against Ranjita. “A national gathering of the Nagarik Unmukti Party is underway,” said founding Central Member Alok Chaudhary.
The dispute intensified after Ranjita appointed Shiva Bastola as Acting Chair on Saturday. Resham’s faction has questioned the legitimacy of this move, citing that Bastola’s name is not listed in the original 21-member central committee submitted to the Election Commission during the party’s formation.