KATHMANDU: Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) has picked leader Rajendra Mahato as the parliamentary party (PP) leader.

A meeting of the majority of JSP lawmakers Friday nominated Mahato as the PP leader of the party, said lawmaker Pramod Sah. “He is picked the PP leader with the signatures of 20 lawmakers,” said Sah. The decision will be registered at the party office after it opens, he added.

Leader Manish Suman also confirmed that lawmakers were in favor of picking Mahato as PP leader at the meeting held in Bhaktapur Thursday.

Leaders close to JSP Federal Council Chairman Babu Ram Bhattarai and party Chairman Upendra Yadav were not present at Friday’s meeting.

The JSP was formed after the erstwhile Rastriya Janata Party (RJP) and Samajbadi Party (SP) merged.

After the merger it was agreed that Mahato would be made the PP leader, however, no decision had been taken in this regard.