KATHMANDU, June 30: Despite nearly a year passing since the inception of the Loktantrik Samajwadi Party (LSP), the formation of a central committee remains pending. Moreover, the party's fraternal organizations are yet to be established, resulting in a state of turmoil within the party within such a short span of time.
After breaking away from the Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP), prominent leaders including Mahantha Thakur, Rajendra Mahato, Sharat Singh Bhandari, Anil Jha, and others applied for LSP registration with the Election Commission on August 17, 2022.
Just nine days after the application, the commission recognized LSP as a political party. During the registration process, the leaders submitted a list of a 21-member executive committee, solely for the purpose of registration. Currently, the LSP is functioning with the 21-member executive committee submitted to the Commission, with Thakur serving as the chairman.
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However, during this period, Chairman Thakur has not taken any step to establish the party’s fraternal organizations. Other party leaders have repeatedly brought this matter to Thakur's attention, expressing concern over the absence of a central committee and fraternal organizations. It is believed that Thakur has shown little interest in addressing this issue.
Presently, the leaders of LSP find themselves divided into two factions, with Thakur leading one and senior leader Rajendra Mahato leading the other. Relations between Thakur and Mahato have been strained since the elections to the members of the House of Representatives and provincial assemblies held last November. Reports suggest that Thakur is hesitant to establish a central committee due to the deterioration of his relationship with Mahato.
Thakur had an easy time getting appointed as the leader of the LSP’s parliamentary party, as Mahato suffered a defeat in the election to the House of Representatives. Thakur himself has been elected as the leader of the LSP parliamentary party. "It appears that the chairman has little interest in expanding the party organization. He has turned LSP into a platform for leading a retired life," said a close aide of Mahato. However, leaders aligned with Thakur claim that they will establish a central committee within a few days.
Those aligned with Thakur assert that Mahato and other leaders share equal responsibility for the delayed formation of the central committee and the party's failure to meet the threshold for the House of Representatives elections.
Following his loss in the House of Representatives election, Mahato has predominantly resided in Madhesh rather than Kathmandu. Due to health reasons, Thakur spends most of his time in Kathmandu. LSP secured only four seats in the House of Representatives election and failed to attain the status of a national party by not meeting the election threshold.
Chairman Thakur has successfully established provincial committees in Madhesh, Lumbini, and Bagmati provinces. Controversy arose regarding the formation of the provincial committee in Madhesh Province, which is considered the stronghold of LSP. Supporters of Mahato claim that Thakur has formed the provincial committees without proper consultation with them.
