Two RPPs merge

By Our Reporter Rastriya Prajatanra PartyNepal led by Kamal Thapa and Rastriya Prajatantra Party led by Pashupati Shumsher Rana have formally merged into a single party amidst a function held on Monday. In the interim period, Rana has become the national chairman of the party whereas Thapa has become the party’s executive chairman and leader of the Parliamentarian Party after the merger. BishwabandhuThapa and Dr Prakashchandra Lohani are the senior leaders in the new party structure. RPP has adopted the agenda of declaring Nepal a Hindu state, whereas, RPPN which was carrying the agenda of Hindu kingdom, has agreed to follow the mandate of the parties national convention. Both the parties have agreed to follow the decision of the national convention on the issue of republic or constitutional monarchy. Former RPPN leaders believe that they will be successful to endorse the agenda of constitutional monarchy from the national convention, which is going to be held within three months of the unification process. The national convention will elect new leadership in the party. RPP has strength of 12 MPs whereas RPPN has the strength of 25 MPs in the parliament. After unification of the two parties, the total strength of RPP has reached to 37 MPs by making the merged party as the fourth largest in the parliament. To recall, in the last CA elections, RPPN had adopted the agenda of Hindu Kingdom whereas RPP had bagged the agenda of federal secular republic. The agendaless RPP thus bagged only 12 seats but RPPN with the agenda of Hindu kingdom bagged 25 seats. RPPN was able to collect the sympathy votes for the Hindu Kingdom. If the newly merged party will give up the agenda of monarchy, the voters may not support to RPP, which is known as the party of former panchas.