Kathmandu, Dec 29: With one day left before the Election Commission deadline to submit closed lists under the proportional system, two major forces in the Tarai Madhesh have announced unity.
The Loktantrik Samajwadi Party (LSP)led by Mahanta Thakur and the Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal led by Upendra Yadav declared their merger on Sunday evening. Leaders say the move followed months of internal talks.
A joint meeting of office bearers in Kathmandu reviewed the current political situation and agreed to merge the two parties. The unity statement says the decision rests on shared commitments to federalism, identity, proportional inclusion, social justice, and broader political change aimed at building a fair society.
The statement offers few details. It does not spell out the name, symbol, or leadership structure of the unified party.
“We decided to step back from our individual positions as much as possible to come together,” a source close to Upendra Yadav said. “That is why we announced unity even though some issues remain unsettled.” The source added that the parties share a common background, which should make pending decisions easier.
Leaders point out that Mahanta Thakur had been the senior figure during earlier unity efforts, when the party name and election symbol were also the same. Still, they say the final name of the new party is yet to be fixed.
Consensus has already been reached on the election symbol. Leader Manish Suman said the unified party will use the umbrella symbol and submit its closed list under that sign. The two parties had also used the umbrella symbol during their earlier unity in Baisakh 2077.
That unity did not last. By Bhadra 2078, LSP split under Thakur’s leadership and adopted the bicycle symbol. In the 2079 elections, the two parties not only used different symbols but also joined different alliances.
JSP contested the election with UML, while LSP joined the Nepali Congress led five party alliance. The split helped UML and Congress regain ground in Madhesh. After 16 years, UML emerged as the largest force in the region, with Congress in second place. JSP fell to third, while LSP slipped to fifth.
“The 2079 election result clearly told us that unity was necessary. It was also what Madheshi voters wanted,” Suman said. He added that there was strong pressure to unite and no solid reason to remain divided.
Leaders say the Gen Z movement added momentum to the ongoing talks, even as groundwork for a lasting unity had already begun.
The parties will contest both proportional and direct seats under the umbrella symbol. This will be the first-time leaders from the Upendra and Mahanta camps fight an election under a single symbol. In 2017, they were allied but used separate symbols and still performed well in Madhesh.
This time, they plan to go to the polls as one party. Upendra Yadav and Mahanta Thakur will serve as co-chairs with equal status. There is also agreement on equal sharing in party committees and candidate selection.
Leaders say talks are also underway with other Madhesh based forces, mainly with CK Raut, to explore a broader unity based on shared principles.
People’s News Monitoring Service
Comments:
Leave a Reply