KATHMANDU, May 24: CPN-UML has expelled 11 former lawmakers including senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhala Nath Khanal even from party's general membership. 

A Standing Committee meeting of the party held in the capital on Monday took a decision to expel Nepal, Khanal and nine other lawmakers of the dissolved House of Representatives (HoR) on charge of supporting opposition parties to oust the UML-led government. 

Earlier on Saturday, the UML had sought clarification from 11 lawmakers for extending their support to oust the UML-led government. The decision to expel them even from the party's general membership comes hours after the deadline given them to furnish clarification expired on Monday morning. 

Those expelled from the party's general membership inclue senior leader Nepal, Khanal, Bhim Rawal, Ram Kumari Jhankri, Mukunda Neupane, Kalila Khatun, Sarala Yadav, Pushpa Kumari Karna, Nira Devi Jaisi, Pushpa Karna Kayastha and Kalyani Khadka. 

The move of Chairman K P Oli to expel rival faction leaders is seen as the formal beginning of the split of the UML. A new party called CPN (Unified) has already been registered with the EC by a student leader close to Nepal. 

Meanwhile, the Standing Committee meeting on Monday also decided to seek clarification from 12 other lawmakers of the party for their involvement in supporting the opposition alliance to oust the UML-led government. These lawmakers providing their signatures to make Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba a new Prime Minister are also likely to be expelled from the party's general membership, according to UML insiders.

 
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