KATHMANDU: The local level people’s representatives of CPN-UML and Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP), who want to join the CPN Unified Socialist and Democratic Socialist Party (DSP) that were formed following the official split of the UML and JSP respectively, have to verify themselves before the district election offices.
Election Commission (EC) Spokesperson Raj Kumar Shrestha told Khabarhub that an EC meeting held Sunday decided with regard to the people’s representatives after the formation of the new parties.
“After the formation of the two new parties – Unified Socialist and DSP- lawmakers of Provincial Assemblies who want to join these new parties will have to go to the Provincial Assembly Secretariat concerned and local level people’s representatives to district election offices concerned before September 7,” he said.
Madhav Kumar Nepal led- Unified Socialist and Mahantha Thakur led- DSP received registration certificates on August 25. The recent ordinance on Political Parties Act allotted 21 days for the local representatives elected from the parent party to choose between the new or the parent party. The ordinance made possible to official split and formation of new parties.
The EC verified federal parliament lawmakers during the time of registration of the new parties. After the split of the UML, 22 members of the House of Representatives and 7 members of the National Assembly have joined the Unified Socialists. Meanwhile, 14 JSP lawmakers joined the DSP.
The EC did not decide on application of four UML lawmakers who wanted to join the Unified Socialists. Members of the House of Representatives Som Pandey, Bam Dev Gautam’s wife Tulsa Thapa and Maya Gyawali applied to the EC to remain with the Unified Socialists but the EC could not verify them.
Similarly, National Assembly member Sarada Bhatta also has yet to be identified. There is confusion over what will happen to their parliamentary seat if they leave the UML and join the Unified Socialist.
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