Rastriya Prajatantra Party senior leader Pashupati Shumsher Rana has remarked that dropping the party’s popular election symbol—plough—was the main cause of the party’s poor show in first phase of local elections.

In the 283 village councils and municipalities of three provinces in which the elections were held on May 14, the newly united RPP has won only one top seat and is leading in another where the vote count is ongoing.

The RPP held its unity convention in February after the merger of the RPP and the RPP-Nepal. While Kamal Thapa leads the new party, Rana led the RPP. The electoral symbol “cow”, which the new party adopted, was the symbol of RPP-Nepal. The RPP had been using “plough”.

Speaking at the Rafat Sanchar Club in Bhaktapur on Tuesday, Rana said there should be better arrangements for the upcoming elections in the remaining four provinces.

Expressing displeasure with the new leadership, erstwhile RPP leader Prakash Chandra Lohani left the party to form the Ekikrit RPP (Rastrabadi).

In another context, Rana said his party would participate in the new government to be formed after Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal resigns.