KATHMANDU: The Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) is likely to see a split as the Chairman of the party’s Federal Council, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai and Chairman Upendra Yadav are likely to part ways soon.

According to party leaders, the meeting held between the two leaders on Wednesday has heightened mistrust between the two instead of narrowing down their differences.

The two leaders will most likely formalize their split at a meeting of the Central Committee to be held in Birgunj on July 11 and 12.

Dr. Bhattarai and Yadav, who came together when the Mahanta Thakur faction was put in the minority last July, had been at loggerheads for almost a year.

Even before the local elections, the faction led by Bhattarai was preparing to form a new party by mobilizing 40 percent in the Central Committee and Parliamentary Party, which, however, did not happen as the local-level elections were approaching.

Meanwhile, Yadav, too, had agreed to establish a headquarter entrusting Bhattarai and senior leader Ashok Rai to run the party and give Rai the right to sign the ticket for the local level election candidates.

However, Bhattarai’s faction has accused Chairman Yadav of running the party unilaterally without abiding by the agreement due to which Bhattarai started preparing to form a new party by garnering the support of the Parliamentary Party and 40 percent of the Central Committee.

Meanwhile, the equation changed when leaders close to Bhattarai including Istiaq Raie and Pradip Yadav leaned towards Upendra Yadav.

According to a leader, it was difficult for Bhattarai to garner 40 percent of the central committee members.

Therefore, the two leaders held one-on-one talks at the Parliamentary Party office in Singha Durbar on Wednesday.

Yadav later briefed his party that during the meeting, Bhattarai had told him that it would be better to part ways rather than cling to the party.