KATHMANDU: Leaders of the Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) are meeting with Prime Minister KP Oli at the latter’s official residence in Baluwatar this evening.

Top leaders including JSP Federal Council Chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai, Central Council Chairman Mahanta Thakur and Upendra Yadav are holding a meeting with Prime Minister Oli at 5 pm Thursday.

Likewise, JSP leaders Rajendra Mahato and Ashok Rai are also attending the meeting, party sources said.

A meeting of the party held this afternoon decided to call a meeting of the Parliamentary Party on Friday.

The meeting is likely to pick the leader of the PP.

Top-notch leaders of the JSP on Thursday afternoon held discussions to come up with a similar view for a new power sharing.

JSP, which has been decisive for a coalition government in the changed political context following the Supreme Court’s verdict, is trying to forge a common view that they should support the party that will ensure the release of its lawmaker Resham Chaudhary.

Both CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Center) have already approached the JSP for an alliance to form a coalition government.

UML Chairman and Prime Minister KP Oli is coaxing the JSP leaders from the erstwhile Rastriya Janata Party (RJP) background as Oli needs only 18 lawmakers to form a simple majority government.

PM Oli is intending to take them into confidence even by splitting the JSP if the entire party does not support him, according to sources.

A meeting of the JSP held on Tuesday had decided to ally with the party that ensures the release of Chaudhary, withdrawal of cases filed against its leaders and cadres involved in the Madhesh Movement.

Currently, the JSP leaders are in dilemma whether to extend support to Prime Minister Oli or the other parties who staged demonstrations against Oli before the House of Representatives was reinstated.

Of the 275-member federal parliament, CPN-UML has 121 lawmakers, Nepali Congress (63), Maoist Center (53), JSP (34) other fringe parties (which do not have national party status) Nepal Workers Peasants Party (NWPP-1), Rastriya Janamorcha (RJM-1), Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP-1), Independent-1.

Of them, four lawmakers have been suspended while one has passed away.