An internal dispute has made the newly formed Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal indecisive whether to participate in the third phase of local level elections scheduled to be held in Province 2 on September 18.

The ongoing meeting of the party’s office bearers has failed to reach any concrete decision about joining the polls. Party leaders including Chairman Mahantha Thakur had claimed that the party’s crucial meeting would come up with a concrete decision on the Madhes-based party’s prospects of joining the poll process.

Most of the office bearers who spoke at the meeting that started on Wednesday urged the party leadership to go to the polls by putting the constitution amendment proposal to a vote in Parliament while some claimed that the party cannot embrace the elections in Province 2 while it boycotted them in the six other provinces.

However, with the leaders engaged in managing the internal feud, the meeting has failed to take any concrete decisions.

Major parties have already expedited their election campaigns in the eight districts of Province 2. RJP-N leaders are arriving in Kathmandu for a central committee meeting scheduled to begin on Sunday. The meeting of the 815-strong central body is expected to last at least a week.

Among the 136 office bearers of the RJP-N, dozens remained absent and many voiced differences with the top leaders.

After a significant number of office bearers refused to join the meeting, Chairman Thakur is holding dialogue with them. But the dissatisfied members say they will present their concerns in the upcoming central committee meeting if the party is prepared to address them.

Hridayesh Tripathi, along with Sarbendra Nath Shukla and Brijesh Gupta, have been leading the disgruntled group against the working style of the current six-member presidium and the statute claiming that it would divide the party rather than uniting it. “The way the statute is developed will entrench the concept of six parties, instead of developing the spirit of a single party,” Tripathi argued.

Tripathi, who has notable contribution to the merger of the plains-based parties headed in different directions, has demanded space in the party presidium, claiming that at least three of the six honchos were his juniors.

“I have told Chairman Thakur that we will air our views along with solution to the issues on the opening day of the party’s central committee meeting,” Tripathi said, adding that the incumbent leadership must be ready to accept their proposal.

The leaders stress that the party must follow the agreement reached between the six parties at the time of their merger.

The dissident faction of the party says that a party having 11 lawmakers cannot be equal to one with a single lawmaker. They have also expressed concern over inadequate representation of the western Tarai in the party with only 115 of the total 815 central committee members and 14 of the total 136 office bearers coming from the region.

“We are under-represented in the party, which is unacceptable,” Tripathi said.

PM: Party will join 3rd phase elections

JANAKPUR: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has claimed that the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal will take part in the third phase of local level elections scheduled for September 18.

At a press meet in Janakpur on Friday, Deuba said the government was trying to address the demands of the RJP-N. “The RJP-N will join the polls to retain its public support,” said the PM, adding that his party was sincere about addressing the demands of the RJP-N.

Addressing party supporters at the Mahendra Narayan Nidhi Sanskritik Kendra in Dhanusha on Thursday, PM Deuba had said his party could form electoral alliances with the CPN (Maoist Centre) and the RJP-N for the upcoming local level polls.