KATHMANDU: Rastriya Prajatantra Party Chairman Kamal Thapa has announced his candidature for the next term.

He announced his candidacy for the post of chairperson of the RPP’s Unity General Convention to be held from December 1 to 3.

Earlier, former general secretary Rajendra Lingden had announced his candidacy for the post. Other founding leaders have also expressed interest in becoming the chairperson of RPP, the party with people of  Panchayat system supporting background. RPP has been lobbying for Hindu state and constitutional monarchy to replace prevalent secular and republic state.

Although Pashupati Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana and Prakash Chandra Lohani have also expressed their desire to become chairmen, they have not announced it yet.

So far, only Thapa and Lingden have announced their candidacies.

Similarly, there are many aspirants for the post of General Secretary and Vice-Chairman in RPP. So far, only Dhawal Shumsher Rana and Bhuvan Pathak have announced their candidacies. RPP, which has been splitting and uniting time and again, last united after Pashupati Shumsher Rana and Kamal Thapa lost the 2017 election.

Stating that the convention should convey a message of unity and harmony, Thapa said that the nationalists were looking into it and announcing their candidature for the post.

He said that he did not want the bitter history of party split to be repeated after every general convention. He said that all the delegates of the General Convention should resolve to never allow RPP to explode when they return home.

Witnessing former prime minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand, Thapa said that the party would continue to maintain unity. Chand is the only surviving founding chairman of RPP. Thapa also claimed that he had the support of Chand.

Stating that he had also met Prakash Chandra Lohani, Thapa claimed that he was supportive of the party saying that he was resolute in favor of unity. Thapa said that he expects to contribute to the selection of the next leadership through consensus.