Senior leaders from the two parties had earlier decided to name the new party as Rastriya Shakti Prajatantra Party. But the leaders withdrew their proposal as there was a strong protest against the proposed name in the ongoing closed-door session. [break]
The delegates obstructed the closed-door session immediately after RPP General Secretary Parshuram Khapung, while presenting the report on party statute amendment, named the new party Rastriya Shakti Prajatantra Party. “The representatives calmed down only after RPP Chairman Pashupati Shumshere JB Rana and RJP Chairman Surya Bahadur Thapa assured that the unified party would be named RPP,” Uday Pokharel, the party´s Syangja district chairman, told Republica.
The party representatives from across the country also objected to the leaders´ decision to allow four key leaders -- Thapa, Rana, Lokendra Bahadur Chand and Prakash Chandra Lohani - to lead the party on a rotational basis. Though the leaders proposed that Rajeshwar Devkota also be allowed to head the party, he rejected the idea of heading the party on a rotation basis and refused to join the presidium.
The leaders promised the party delegates that they would come up with an amicable solution by Sunday with regard to party leadership. “Today´s [Saturday] closed-door session has been adjourned till tomorrow as leaders decided to come up with a convincing proposal on party leadership,” said Pokharel.
The session also decided to retain plough as the party´s election symbol.
Though all the leaders Thapa, Rana, Chand, Lohani and Devkota were in the RPP, Thapa-led faction had split the party to form RJP around nine years ago.
After agreeing to reunify the two parties, the leaders had two years ago decided to unite the district chapters of the two parties and other local bodies. So far, the party bodies have already merged to form a single committee in the districts.
The ongoing general convention will elect 73 central committee members while other 30 members will be nominated.
Meanwhile, a group of youth leaders have launched a campaign to elect new and young faces in the party´s central committee.
Uday Pokharel, Dhan Bahadur Budha, Mohankaji Bhandari, Rajesh Giri and Dhruva Rayamajhi are among those who are exerting pressure on the top leaders demanding that young and new faces be allowed to hold 50 percent of the central committee seats.
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