The Janamat Party and the Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP), two regional parties that emerged in national politics following the November 2022 election, are considering unification.

The task forces formed by the parties to discuss unification held their formal meeting on Sunday to assess the prospects of the merger.

“Sunday’s meeting has decided to convene another round of meetings after the task forces of both parties review the document prepared for the unification within their respective parties,” said Gangaram Chaudhary, who is leading the NUP taskforce.

A two-day central committee meeting of the NUP, held on Friday and Saturday, decided to set up the taskforce under the coordination of lawmaker Chaudhary. According to the coordinator, the taskforce includes leaders Sunita Chaudhary and Ramlal Dangaura.

Similarly, the central committee meeting of the Janamat Party, held in Bardibas, Mahottari, on 9 March, decided to proceed with the party unification process and formed a taskforce under the leadership of party vice president Abdul Khan with spokesperson Sharad Singh Yadav and Bal Govinda Chaudhary as members.

The Janamat Party holds six seats in the House of Representatives, while the NUP has four. Additionally, the Janamat Party leads the Madhesh Province government.

Both the Janamat Party and NUP are currently facing internal challenges. Within the NUP, tensions between Chairperson Ranjita Shrestha and founder Resham Chaudhary have created divisions. Resham and Ranjita are husband and wife.

Meanwhile, in the Janamat Party, dissatisfaction has arisen among party members regarding the leadership style of party chair CK Raut.

Last year, the internal strife in the NUP between Resham and Ranjita cost the party an opportunity to lead the Sudurpaschim Province government. The then coalition of the CPN-UML and the CPN (Maoist Centre) had decided to support Kailash Chaudhary for the position of chief minister, but the dispute between Resham, the party founder, and Ranjita, the party chair, thwarted these efforts.

Given these internal struggles, will the merger between the two parties ensure long-term stability?

The party's internal conflicts will not affect the unification process, said Gangaram Chaudhary, the leader of the NUP taskforce. He further added that both Resham and Ranjita are in favour of the merger.

However, Abdul Khan, Janamat Party vice president and the party’s taskforce coordinator, said there may be individual issues in both parties, but their party structures do not have any fundamental problems that would hinder unification.

Although the parties are working towards unification, discussions on the party structure post merger have yet to take place, according to NUP’s Gangaram Chaudhary.

However, Khan argues that while many aspects of the unification process remain to be finalised, it has been agreed that CK Raut will head the unified party and the new party will adopt the NUP’s election symbol, a bamboo basket.

“If everything goes as planned, we will announce the unification at an event on April 16,” Khan said.

Despite their different political backgrounds, both parties emerged in national politics with regional representation. Geographically, the Janamat Party primarily represents the people of Madhesh Province, while the NUP has gained political prominence in the Tharu-majority regions of western Nepal.

Why, then, have these two parties felt the need to unite?

One key reason, according to leaders of both the parties, is the struggle for rights of regional and marginalised communities. Despite their distinct geographical bases, Khan stated that both parties advocate for the empowerment of historically underrepresented groups—Janamat for the Madhesi people and NUP for the Tharu community.

“A merger could strengthen their collective bargaining power in national politics, ensuring that larger, mainstream parties do not sideline our agendas,” Khan stated.

Additionally, Nepal’s political landscape is dominated by larger parties, making it difficult for smaller regional forces to maintain influence. By uniting, the Janamat Party and NUP aim to consolidate their strength, enhance their electoral prospects, and push for policy changes benefiting their constituencies, Khan added.

“This strategic alliance could also help bridge regional divides, and foster a broader movement for federalism, identity-based rights, and decentralised governance in Nepal.”

Following the 2022 elections, the Janamat Party and the Nagarik Unmukti Party signed a 12-point agreement on 8 January 2023 to work together in principle. However, despite the agreement, the two parties failed to move forward collectively.

As they revisit the idea of unification, a key question arises: What guarantees that the merger will be effectively implemented this time?

According to leaders from both parties, various factors hindered cooperation in the past, but such issues will not be repeated.

As discussions on the unification continue, Khan stated that there will be no immediate merger with the Nepal Socialist Party, led by former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai.