RJPN wants six months to hold general convention

Published On: June 9, 2018 01:05 AM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

The Election Commission had written to the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal on Thursday, reminding the party to hold general convention by July 14.

KATHMANDU, June 8: The Rastriya Janata Party Nepal (RJPN) has decided to seek additional six months to hold its general convention after the Election Commission (EC) wrote on Thursday to hold the party's general convention by July 14. A meeting of the party's presidium members and other office bearers held on Friday in the capital decided to ask the election body to give them six months to hold the general convention of the party that was formed after the unification of various six Madhes-based parties last year. “Our meeting of presidium members has decided to request the Election Commission for additional six months to hold the party's general convention. We are hopeful that the EC will positively consider our request,” said RJPN General Secretary Keshab Jha.

The six Madhes-based parties, namely Tarai Madhes Democratic (TMDP), TMDP-Nepal, Sadbhawana Party, Sanghiya Sadbhawana Party, Madhesi People's Rights Forum (Republican) and Rastriya Madhes Samajbadi Party had last year formed a united party called RJPN just ahead of the local polls under the framework of the new constitution. The RJPN was registered with the EC on July 14, 2017. The RJPN's statute in its Article 22 (10) has a provision to hold its general convention within a year.

The EC had written a letter on Thursday, reminding the party to hold general convention by July 14. After the recently held parliamentary elections, only four parties have been recognized as national parties as the then CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Center) decided to go for unification to form the Nepal Communist Party (NCP). Nepali Congress, Federal Socialist Forum Nepal and RJPN are three other national parties.RJPN leaders said they could not hold the general convention on time as the party had were busy with the three-tier elections almost throughout the year. Earlier, the EC had given additional one year to the NC to hold its general convention as the party said it was busy with the constitution-drafting process.