The Ujyaalo Nepal Party is set to be registered at the Election Commission on Wednesday, involving the interim government’s minister for energy, water resources and irrigation, Kulman Ghising.

A total of 51 members have been selected so far for the party to be listed under the leadership of former energy secretary Anup Kumar Upadhyay.

Among the selected members are actress and television presenter Reema Bishwokarma and Mahendra Lawati, a professor. Similarly, Tara Prasad Joshi, who was elected an independent lawmaker from the Dadeldhura ‘B’ constituency in the 2022 provincial elections, is also a member of the Ujyaalo Nepal Party. Other members include Shri Gurung, Shankar Dhakal, Dr Raju Thapa, Dr Bishal Bhandari and Sita Pandey.

Tashi Lhazom, who was discussed as a potential minister in the interim government but was not appointed, has also joined the party. According to Jitram Lama, who is actively involved in the party’s formation, the group has decided to form the party under Upadhyay’s leadership, while all members will focus solely on building the political force. To start with, there will only be the portfolio of party chair, Lama said.

Although the party had planned to register at the Election Commission on Tuesday, the preparations were not complete. Party chair Arun Kumar Upadhyay said that the registration was not possible because of the extensive paperwork required for the process, as they reached the Election Commission office late on Tuesday.

Upadhyay said that the party will follow the system of chairmanship and will adhere to the principles of a liberal democracy.

“We are neither extreme left nor extreme right. We believe in a liberal economy and our policy will place special emphasis on a type of social security that addresses the spirit of the Gen Z movement,” Upadhyay told the Post.

Energy Minister Ghising, who for now will only extend his support to the party, is expected to formally join it as the March 5 elections approach. According to a source at the Prime Minister’s Office, Ghising is likely to resign his ministerial position about a month before the elections to join the party and run for a parliamentary seat.

Ghising was earlier involved in the party formation process. For the preparations, he travelled both within Nepal and abroad, holding interactions with Nepali citizens. After the then KP Sharma Oli-led government sacked him as chief of the Nepal Electricity Authority in March, he had launched a campaign with the intention of joining politics.

During this period, he also held discussions with several parties, including the Rastriya Swatantra Party, on the possibility of cooperation. However, he ultimately decided to form his own party. Nevertheless, after the Gen Z movement of September 8 and 9, when he took charge of the energy ministry along with two others, the party formation process did not go ahead under his name.

During an interaction with Nepali students at the South Asian University in New Delhi on October 29, Ghising said that he was waiting to unite more people. He shared on the platform that he had been getting various proposals since 2016 to launch a party.

Ghising also had expressed his readiness to lead a new political force, provided that all emerging forces come together. He added that discussions among different forces on this matter were ongoing. “We don’t have much time,” Ghising said. “Once I return to Nepal, we will reach some sort of a conclusion.”

Ghising returned to Nepal on October 30.

However, when editors expressed concerns in Kathmandu the next day with Prime Minister Sushila Karki about sitting ministers preparing to contest the elections, Gurung did not confirm his plans.

While Karki denied that her ministers would do that, Ghising is learnt to have remained silent on the question at the interaction. Ghising, who holds three portfolios in the interim government, has denied reports that he intends to resign and form a new political party.

However, Ghising on November 4 dismissed claims that he was quitting as minister to open a political party.

“I am seriously concerned about reports in different media and on social media claiming that I am resigning my position,” Ghising wrote on Facebook. “I want to clarify that there is no truth to these reports.”

Ghising stressed that the interim government was formed following the historic Gen Z movement and reaffirmed his commitment to “fulfilling the hopes and trust of the people”.

“While handling the responsibilities of three ministries, I remain actively committed to fulfilling the mandate and trust given by the movement,” Ghising stated.

Even then preparations were underway to form a party with the backing of Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah, where former Rastriya Swatantra Party lawmaker Sumana Shrestha, and Sudan Gurung, a representative of the Gen Z movement, would be leaders.

According to a person familiar with the process, the group had initially agreed to name the outfit Nepal Janasewa Party. However, due to differences in the final stage, Ghising’s group decided to register a separate party.

“Although we could not go ahead together, we have agreed to explore the possibility of working jointly by election time,” Upadhyay said.

According to a source familiar with the matter, Shah, Shrestha, and Gurung had proposed that the party be registered under Ghising’s leadership. However, Ghising was reluctant to quit the government immediately, and the group failed to reach an agreement.