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The newly established party, led by former television anchor Ravi Lamichhane, is caught in a bitter inter-party dispute after the faction close to Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah raised an objection to the PR lawmaker nomination list. On Dec 10, Ganesh Karki, press coordinator of Rastriya Swatantra Party(RSP), took to social media to express his displeasure with the name list of party lawmakers under proportional representation category. Karki didn’t make it on the list and he blamed the party Chairman Ravi Lamichhane and General Secretary Mukul Dhakal for the omission. Karki claimed that the party leadership dropped him and Dipak Bohara from the list to make room for Dr Chanda Karki and Nisha Dangi, who were nominated under women’s quota. The RSP won 20 seats under the first-past-the-post electoral system, emerging as a new political force.  Karki’s contention is that since two women party candidates had already won under the first-past-the-post electoral system, the party needed just five women PR candidates to meet the 33 percent women’s participation. In an interview with AP1 Television, Central Committee member of the party Karki said party leadership does not want to hold discussions on pressing intra-party issues.  The party leadership breached the rules set by the party while selecting the candidates under the PR category, Karki said. Karki joined the RSP as a representative of Kathmandu mayor, Balendra Shah. A party source requesting to conceal his name said Karki’s entry in the party was a result of a compact between Shah and Lamichhane, who are apparently planning for a campaign to do away with federalism. It is noteworthy that in the Nov 20 elections, the RSP didn’t contest for provincial assembly seats and Shah didn’t cast a vote for provincial candidates. Another source said Shah’s supporters in the party are unhappy with the leadership’s decision to block Karki’s nomination. Some say this could lead to potential insurrection and factionalism inside the party. Already, Lamichhane and his close aides are facing criticism of holding clandestine meetings and trying to suppress dissenting voices inside the party. On the night of Dec 16, Lamichhane called on CPN-UML chair KP Sharma Oli to discuss the power-sharing deal. The meeting was kept secret from the media as well as the party members. The media caught wind of the meeting after two days, but the subject of discussion between the two leaders remains a secret. Lamichhane is also accused of keeping Monday’s meeting of the parliamentary party under wraps. The meeting, held at a hotel in Budhanilkantha to elect the PP leadership, however, failed to pick deputy PP leader, chief whip and whip following a disagreement among party members. The intra-party dispute is deepening and Lamichhane and the co are scrambling to keep it from spilling out in public. To this end, the party leadership has directed the central members and lawmakers-elect from speaking with the media. In order to keep Karki from raising further ruckus, the party leadership is trying to entreat him with a promise of a seat in the National Assembly. Biraj Bhakta Shrestha is the only lawmaker-elect from the party who is close to Shah. Shah had played a significant role to ensure the electoral success of Lamichhane’s party. The same team behind Shah’s local election campaign had supported the candidates of RSP. Karki was one of the chief strategists in Shah’s election campaign. “Shah’s campaign team was instrumental for the party’s success in the federal election,” a party leader said. “Karki’s entry in the party was a result of quid pro quo agreement between Shah and Lamichhane.” Shah and Lamichhane decided to work together because they shared a similar political line of dismantling the provinces. Karki has also confirmed the mutual point of interest that brought them together. One leader said the only reason Shah has not joined the party is because he won the mayoral election as an independent candidate. “Him joining the party now will not be good for the reputation he has built as an independent,” the leader added. While there are only a few indications of Shah’s support to the RSP, one of them being his decision not to vote for provincial election, Lamichhane has openly endorsed the independent mayor as an agent of change. Shah’s win in the local election had also given Lamichhane the confidence to form a party to challenge the old established political forces. Another leader requesting anonymity said Shah had shown an undeclared support to the Rastriya Swatantra Party, which he proved by distancing himself from the ‘lauro’ (walking cane) campaign. When Shah ran in the mayoral race, he was assigned a walking cane as his election symbol. The cane would go on to become more than an election symbol throughout Shah’s campaign and after his election victory. It became a symbol of support and trust for many voters disenchanted with the old parties. It was also a symbol of warning for mainstream political parties and their leaders. The ‘lauro’ campaign continued to gather momentum until the elections to the federal and provincial elections. When Suman Sayami, who had lost the mayoral election to Shah, decided to file his candidacy in the federal polls from Kathmandu-8, he fashioned the ‘lauro’ campaign as his own to attract voters. There was a widespread public belief that Shah was going to support Sayami. But when Sayami and his Hamro Nepali Party was dragged into a controversy for co-opting the ‘lauro’ campaign, Shah came forward to clarify that he had nothing to do with the party and its candidates. At the time of the controversy, Shah had already agreed to support Lamichhane and his party, a party leader said. It remains to be seen what will happen to the Shah-Lamichhane relationship, and by extension, to the RSP with more disputes likely to come to a head. There are also differing opinions about the party joining the government. Some leaders are of the view that the party should join the coalition government, while others say the party should remain in opposition. But Santosh Pariyar, a lawmaker-elect from the party, denied reports of disputes. Initially, there were some issues regarding the selection of PR candidates, which has since been resolved, he said. He added recent meetings of the party's Parliamentary Party and Central Committee have decided to safeguard the party’s unity and work toward addressing the people’s demand.

Senior member of the House of Representatives Pashupati Shumsher JB Rana took the oath of office and secrecy on Wednesday. President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy amidst a program organized in Sheetal Niwas this afternoon. Rana is a PR lawmaker. He was born in Maharajgunj, Kathmandu on May 7, 1941. Vice-President Nanda Bahadur Pun, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timilsina and acting Chief Justice Hari Krishna Karki among others were present in the program. Rana will administer the oath of office and secrecy to other lawmakers on Thursday.    

At a time when serious discussions are going on about a new power sharing, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma and Rastriya Prajatantra Party Chairman Rajendra Lingden held a meeting on Tuesday. During the meeting held at the residence of Oli in Balkot, the duo discussed a new power sharing, future strategy and contemporary political issues among others. The UML and RPP had forged electoral alliances in some places. Both Oli and Lingden were unanimously elected as the Parliamentary Party leader of their respective parties on Tuesday itself. The UML intensified meetings with senior leaders of various political parties after President Bidya Devi Bhandari called upon the political parties to form a new government by December 25. Earlier on Tuesday morning, UML Vice-Chairman and former speaker Subash Chandra Nembang formally proposed CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal to become the prime minister. A few days ago, the Maoist Center itself had formally proposed UML for the power sharing. Dahal, who had moved forward with a strategy to rout Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, had sent General Secretary Dev Gurung to Balkot making him his messenger. On the occasion, Gurung had sought Oli’s opinion on power sharing. Saying that the left alliance is essential to form a stable government in the country, Gurung had formally proposed for power sharing. With the response of the same proposal, Nembang had reached Khumaltar with the proposal of the prime minister. During the meeting, Nembang also put forth two conditions. The UML will take the post of president and not incorporate Madhav Kumar Nepal-led CPN (Unified Socialist) in the alliance. Nembang had also said that the UML will be flexible in sharing other posts also if the Maoist Center accepts the two conditions, a Khumaltar source said. “We are ready to accept you as the prime minister. You become the prime minister, we are ready to take the post of president,” a source said, quoting the dialogue of two leaders. “Other posts will be shared in consensus. Let’s take politics ahead through a new course to take the country towards the path of stability.” Deuba and Dahal have been staking claims for the post of prime minister in the ruling alliance. No party in the 275-member House of Representatives has 138 seats required to form the government. The Nepali Congress has emerged as the single largest party in the November 20 elections with 89 seats. The UML secured 78 seats. The CPN (Maoist Center) garnered 32 seats, Rastriya Swatantra Party 20, Rastriya Prajatantra Party 14, Janata Samajbadi Party 12, CPN (Unified Socialist) 10, Janamat Party 6, Democratic Socialist Party 4, Nagarik Unmukti Party 3, and Rastriya Janamorcha and Nepal Workers and Peasants Party won one seat each. Independent candidates got five seats.  

Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Thapa has announced that he would not join the government. Thapa said that he would not join the government and would take an initiative to form the government under the leadership of the Nepali Congress. He said so after the results of the Parliamentary Party leader election were made public on Wednesday. “Other friends will join the government if it is formed under the leadership of Nepali Congress. There is a need for transformation and generational transfer of power in the party,” he said. He was of the opinion that he will make preparations to become the Parliamentary Party leader in the coming days. “I am not disappointed with this result. Instead I will work hard. The time will come when the friends will feel it,” leader Thapa said. He faced a defeat at the hands of party President Sher Bahadur Deuba in the Parliamentary Party leader. Deuba secured 64 votes while Thapa garnered 25 votes.