KATHMANDU: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) spokesperson Manish Jha held talks with former President Bidya Devi Bhandari at her private residence on Tuesday, sources confirmed.
The meeting comes at a time when Bhandari has intensified her political positioning, often seen as sharpening her confrontation with CPN-UML chair and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
RSP, meanwhile, has been staging protests against the government, alleging that its chair Rabi Lamichhane was jailed under cooperative fraud charges as part of a political vendetta. The party is currently running a nationwide signature campaign calling for his release.
Although Bhandari’s secretariat has not commented officially, sources said the former head of state and Jha spoke one-on-one behind closed doors.
The UML had barred Bhandari from active politics through its Central Committee decision in early August, but she has since set up a contact office in Thapagaun, signaling her determination to re-enter the political arena.
Her growing political visibility has attracted leaders from across party lines. In recent weeks, Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah, Maoist Centre senior vice-chair Narayan Kaji Shrestha, and RSP acting parliamentary leader Biraj Bhakta Maharjan have all held discussions with the former president.
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