Kathmandu, December 31: Former vice-chairman of the UML, Dr Bhim Bahadur Rawal, is planning to launch a new political party led by himself. It is said that he is doing internal preparations for the same and it will be announced at a press conference on January 1, 2025.

It is learnt that Rawal is holding internal discussions to open a new party after the UML led by K.P. Sharma Oli expelled him from the party. Rawal, who has been active in the UML for nearly five decades, was expelled by the party secretariat meeting held on Wednesday.

He is said to be meeting rebel leaders of various parties. Rawal has been meeting leaders, especially from the far-western region. He met Nepali Congress VP Vice-President Karna Malla and Dadeldhura’s leader Tara Joshi, who left the UML, on Monday.

Malla is a former district president of Nepali Congress Dadeldhura and a former provincial assembly member who won from Dadeldhura from Nepali Congress in the state assembly elections. He had contested against Sher Bahadur Deuba in the 2079 general elections for the House of Representatives.

Joshi is a former chairman of CPN-UML Dadeldhura and a former central member of the Unified Socialist Party.

Malla said that three people met at Rawal Niwas on Monday. "Bhim Rawal is now facing political injustice," he said, adding, "He is a national leader. There has been a proposal and positive discussion with him to go politically together. The meeting is expected to be fruitful”.

People’s News Monitoring Service.