KATHMANDU, March 3: Settling the month-long row over the party's election symbol, the newly-unified Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) finally decided cow as its election symbol on Friday. 

The second central committee meeting of the party after the general convention following unification between RPP and RPP-Nepal decided to pick the election symbol earlier used by RPP-Nepal. Some leaders of the party, who were formerly associated with RPP, had demanded that a plough be used as the party's election symbol. 

But RPP Chairman Kamal Thapa announced cow as the party's poll symbol amidst opposition from some senior leaders, said a party leader. Thapa's announcement was endorsed by a majority of central committee members. 

RPP senior leaders Lokendra Bahadur Chand and Prakash Chandra Lohani, among others, had pressed for using a plough as the party's election symbol. Another senior leader Pashupati Shumshere Rana was absent in the meeting as he is in India now. 

"The central committee decided cow to be the party's poll symbol and launch national unity campaigns at five various cities from April 5," said Deputy Spokesperson for the party, Mohan Shrestha. 

Meanwhile, party Chairman Kamal Thapa made appointments to 27 vacant positions of office bearers of the party on Friday, said newly-appointed general secretary Jayanta Chand. 

Thapa has appointed Dipak Bohara, Rajib Parajuli, Buddhiman Tamang, Tanka Dhakal, Bikram Pandey, Ramchandra Raya vice chairmen of the party. Likewise, Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan, Rajendra Lingden, Dhawal Shumser Rana, Jayanta Chand and Sunil Bahadur Thapa have been appointed general secretaries. 

Leaders Hemraj Gurung, Nilkantha Kafle, Ram Thapa, Brijlal Yadav, Manoj Pradhan, Rajaram Bartaula, Chandra Bahadur Gurung, Bindu Pahadi and Rajendra Shrestha have been appointed joint general secretaries of the party. 

Party Chairman Thapa has also appointed Roshan Karki, Sushil Kumar Shrestha and Bhuwan Pathak party spokespersons and Mohan Shrestha as deputy spokesperson. Uddhab Paudel has been appointed the treasurer and Gridhar Pariyar the assistant treasurer of the party. 

The party's general convention had entrusted Chairman Thapa with the authority to make appointments to the vacant positions of the party's office bearers.

 
• rastriya prajatantra party
 
• cow
 
• election symbol