KATHMANDU: The trend of leaders leaving the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) continues just days before the upcoming election, with Mahendra Singh Thakuri, district chair of Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East), joining the Nepali Congress.
Thakuri was welcomed into the party by Nepali Congress Vice President Bishwa Prakash Sharma during an election gathering held at Bardaghat Municipality-12, Chaupata, on Thursday.
He had been serving as the founding district chair of the RSP in Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East). However, he was reportedly dissatisfied with the party’s ticket distribution for the March 5 election.
In the 2022 House of Representatives election, Thakuri had secured 12,499 votes. His decision to quit the RSP and join the Nepali Congress on the eve of the polls is seen as a setback for the party.
The RSP has fielded Bikram Khanal, former general secretary of Nepali Congress Lumbini Province, as its candidate from the constituency. Khanal is currently contesting against Nepali Congress leader Binod Chaudhary.
Earlier, Thakuri’s elder brother, Guptasen Thakuri, vice chair of Susta Rural Municipality, had also announced his departure from the RSP.
Comment