Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party (TMLP) Chairman Mahanta Thakur has been reelected for the second term. Thakur, a veteran Madhesi leader, was elected unanimously on Wednesday after party General Secretary Govind Chaudhary, another aspirant for the top post, withdrew his candidacy at the last hours. 

The party’s first general convention is almost certain to elect Hridayesh Tripathi as the senior Vice-chairperson, while the names of other office bearers are expected after the counting of votes later on Wednesday night.  

Thakur is the founding chairman of the party that was formed in the aftermath of second Madhes movement in 2007.  

Leaders coming from 23 different districts of Tarai and Kathmandu Valley have voted for the key positions, including one senior vice chairperson, two chairpersons, two general secretaries. The party’s new statute envisions a 71-member central working committee. 

The party has also endorsed a political document outlying the role party should play in taking the Madhes movement ahead and seeking political solution to the present crisis. 

“Our party will follow middle path in addressing the Madhes crisis. We believe that parties inside Nepal should themselves find a solution as it’s a national problem,” said party General Secretary Jitendra Sonal. The position of the TMLP leadership is likely to be crucial during the negotiation between Madhesi parties and the government as other parties are hardening their stances on federal boundaries as crisis prolongs. 

TMLP is the third largest Tarai-centric force after the Sanghiya Samajwadi Forum-Nepal and the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum Loktantrik.

The Election Commission has warned of scrapping registration of several Madhes-centric parties due to delays in holding their general convention.