KATHMANDU: Prime Minister and Chairman of Nepal Communist Party (NCP) KP Oli has refuted reports that the party has split.

PM Oli further claimed that the party led by him was the official one and that the Election Commission would have declared the dissolution of party unity if it had documented the information sent by the other faction.

The Election Commission had asked both the factions to submit “amended details” within seven days as per Clause 25 of the Rules on Political Parties.

Both PM Oli and the Prachanda-Madhav faction responded on the last day of the deadline set by the EC.

PM Oli, in his 11-page response, said, “The Nepal Communist Party has not been divided or split even though Pushpa Kamal Dahal has written letter to the Commission to split the party.”

He has argued that while Prachanda was the second chairman of the party and Madhav Kumar Nepal was the senior leader as per the spirit of party unification and the statute.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Oli-led faction reached the EC on Wednesday and staked claims for its official recognition as the NCP and its election symbol ‘sun’.

The leaders also urged the EC to not halt election programs as demanded by the dissident Prachanda-Nepal faction.

Party leader Subash Nemwang, General Secretary Bishnu Paudel, Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, Energy Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, among others had reached the EC.