KATHMANDU: The Election Commission of Nepal (ECN) has formally given recognition to the newly unified Janata Smajwadi Party (JSP) on Sunday.

According to the ECN sources, the commission’s Wednesday meeting had taken the decision to provide JSP a certificate of registration.

JSP leaders Shivaji Yadav and Keshav Jha received the certificate on behalf of the party.

On June 7, Samajbadi Party and Rastriya Janata Party had decided to name their party Janata Samajwadi Party following unification on April 22.

With the registration of JSP,  the number of political parties registered in the ECN has reached 131.

JSP has Mahantha Thakur and Upendra Yadav as its Central Executive Committee chairmen while Ashok Kumar Rai, Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai and Rajendra Mahato are the senior leaders of the party.