Ashok Kumar Rai seeks to register new Samajwadi Party in Nepal

Kathmandu – Following the annulment of the legal recognition of the Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) split, leader Ashok Kumar Rai has initiated the process to register a new party.

Rai’s faction submitted a formal application to the Election Commission on Monday to register a new party named ‘Samajwadi Party’.

Ashok Kumar Rai himself is the proposed president of the new party. The vice presidents are Sushila Shrestha, Radhadevi Timilsina, and Dan Bahadur Bishwakarma.

Similarly, Sharan Kumar Rai has been appointed as the deputy general secretary, while Hemant Raj Mandaviya, Manikar Karki, and Bhim Bahadur Tamang are the secretaries.

President Rai submitted the names of a 28-member central committee, including eight office bearers, to the Election Commission.

Previously, Ashok Rai’s group had split from the Upendra Yadav-led Janata Samajwadi Party, Nepal (JSP) to form the ‘Janata Samajwadi Party’. However, Yadav claimed the split was illegal and filed a case in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court’s decision not to grant legal recognition to Rai’s JSP left the group without a party. As a result of this legal crisis, Rai’s faction opted to register a new party.

In a brief statement after the party registration, President Ashok Kumar Rai clarified that they have always been politically and organizationally united, but the Supreme Court’s decision forced them to register a new party due to the legal existence crisis.

According to the newly formed party’s secretary, Manikar Karki, the ‘Samajwadi Party’ aims to adopt socialism with Nepali characteristics as its main political goal.

The party’s agenda will focus on inclusive democracy, federalism with social justice, prosperity, and good governance.

Karki informed that once official recognition is received from the Election Commission, a campaign to build the organization and expand the party across the country will be launched.