KATHMANDU, June 22: The closed session of the first national convention of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), underway in Bharatpur, Chitwan, has been pushed into uncertainty due to disputes over delegate selection.
Although the closed-door session was scheduled to begin at 9 am, it had still not started even by 3 pm, with the timetable severely disrupted.
The delay has mainly been caused by disputes and complaints regarding the selection process of delegates, particularly from the Madhes Province. The election committee has not been able to finalise the list of delegates, resulting in participants being denied entry to the main hall.
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As the delay continued for hours, many delegates who had travelled from distant districts were seen resting on chairs at the venue and in holding areas.
RSP lawmaker and spokesperson Manish Jha said that the number of delegates had exceeded initial expectations, causing logistical difficulties.
“Initially, around 3,000 delegates were expected, but more than 4,300 have already arrived,” Jha said. “The number could reach up to 4,500, with participation from abroad being nearly four times higher than expected.”
Although the election committee had set a deadline to publish the final list of delegates by noon, the process was delayed due to complaints filed against the preliminary list and the need for corrections.
Disputes over names from Madhes Province are being reviewed before finalisation.
The delay has also affected key agenda items, including presentation and discussion of the party’s statute, political report, organisational report, and financial report.
The RSP had planned to begin elections for the party chairperson and central committee members in the first phase. However, the delay in starting the closed session is expected to push back the leadership selection process as well.
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