Kathmandu, February 2
One and a half month after the virtual split of the Nepal Communist Party, the faction led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal has finally approached the Election Commission claiming it is the legitimate side.
The party’s chairmen Dahal and Nepal, and senior leader Jhala Nath Khanal went to the commission’s central office in Kathmandu this morning and submitted the application as per the Section 44 of the Act of Political Parties.
Khanal says the party has also presented other documents saying the side holds commands the majority in the divided party.
Earlier, the faction’s central committee meeting on Monday had decided to go to the commission seeking legitimacy.
The move comes days after the commission refused to approve the split legally as both factions were reluctant to accept the party had split.
Earlier, the KP Sharma Oli-led faction had informed the commission of extending its central committee whereas the Dahal-Nepal faction had removed Oli from the chairpersonship, replacing him with Madhav Kumar Nepal. The Dahal-Nepal faction has already removed Oli even as a general member of the party.
They, however, had refused to legally accept the split, refraining from showing their group holds at least 40 per cent of the central committee members, a requirement for a party split as per the law.
