On eve of EC’s head count of JSP executive committee members, Chairman Yadav faction hoards them at Godavari

KATHMANDU: Executive members and lawmakers of Janata Samajwadi Party’s Federal Council Chairman Baburam Bhattarai and Chairman Upendra Yadav’s faction have left for Godavari on Sunday.

According to JSP sources, Bhattarai and Yadav have taken the executive members and MPs to Godavari for ‘residential training program’ the day before the Election Commission (EC) conducted a ‘head count’ for the official status of the party.

“Yadav faction has taken them to the Godavari resort so that the executive members and MPs would not join chairman Thakur faction during the ‘head count’ in the Commission,” the source said.

Earlier, EC decided to count the heads of the executive members and lawmakers to decide on the dispute over the legitimacy of the party.

The Chairman Yadav faction has a clear majority on both the executive committee and the parliamentary party whereas another chairman, Mahanta Thakur, and senior leader Rajendra Mahato faction do not have the required number to form a new party.

JSP has a 51-member executive committee and 34 MPs.  Two out of 34 MPs are suspended when one member of the 51-member executive committee is in jail.