KATHMANDU: Two longtime trusted allies of former Maoist leader Dr. Baburam Bhattarai—Bishwadeep Pandey and Ganga Narayan Shrestha—have left Bhattarai’s Nepal Samajwadi Party and rejoined the Maoist Centre led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’.
During the armed insurgency period, Pandey and Shrestha stood firmly by Bhattarai’s side through every crisis. They remained loyal even when Bhattarai faced disciplinary action within the Maoist ranks.
Later, they accompanied him in forming new political outfits like the Naya Shakti Party and then the Nepal Samajwadi Party. However, due to repeated struggles to gain momentum and internal party challenges, both leaders became disillusioned and decided to return to their old political home—the Maoist Centre.
Pandey had already joined the Maoist Centre in late March 2024. Following him, Mahindra Raya Yadav and former Bagmati Province Minister Ganganarayan Shrestha also chose to align with Dahal’s party. Despite this, Yadav’s leadership of the Nepal Socialist Party technically continued.
However, differences emerged between Shrestha and Yadav regarding the merger with the Maoists. When talks failed, Shrestha mobilized a majority faction within the Nepal Samajwadi Party to isolate Yadav. On Monday, Shrestha formally integrated this majority faction into the Maoist Centre at an event in Paris Danda, where Dahal personally welcomed the leaders and supporters.
With these moves, Baburam Bhattarai finds himself increasingly isolated, as many of his former allies—including Devendra Paudel, Devendra Parajuli, and Kalpana Dhamala—have already joined the Maoist Centre.
Pandey, once considered part of Bhattarai’s inner circle, has become a prominent leader within the Maoist Centre, holding significant influence in the party’s Khumaltar headquarters.
The split and failed unity talks have left the Nepal Samajwadi Party on the brink of formal dissolution. Meanwhile, Yadav remains isolated, with a smaller group still loyal to him.
Like Yadav, Shrestha was elected to the Bagmati Provincial Assembly from Sindhuli under the Maoist Centre’s election symbol, while Upendra Yadav, party chairman of the Nepal Samajwadi Party, was elected as a member of the House of Representatives from Sarlahi-2 also under the Maoist symbol.
While Shrestha has moved his faction into the Maoist Centre, Upendra Yadav remains reluctant to pursue unity, leaving him politically isolated as well. With the party unable to reach a consensus on merger talks, the Nepal Samajwadi Party, which was formed by breaking away from Bhattarai, is effectively dissolved.
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