Faction Led by Dhawal Shamshere Prepares to Form New Political Party
The faction led by General Secretary Dr. Dhawal Shamshere Rana, dissatisfied with the leadership style of National Democratic Party Chairman Rajendra Lingden, has collectively resigned and is preparing to form a new party. A meeting of the dissatisfied faction held in Kathmandu initiated a signature campaign for the collective resignation and plans to make a new decision on June 4 (Jestha 21 in the Nepali calendar). Following internal party disputes, former chairmen Pasupati Shamshere Rana, Prakashchandra Lohani, and Kamal Thapa have jointly appealed for members not to leave the party.
June 1, Kathmandu – Internal conflicts within the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) have escalated to such an extent that the party is on the verge of splitting. The dissatisfied faction, questioning Chairman Rajendra Lingden’s leadership style, is preparing to tender collective resignations. Led by Dr. Dhawal Shamshere Rana, the faction has announced a new campaign aimed at forming a new political force. The group outside the founding leadership believes the current leaders have deviated from the party’s core ideological principles.
Although the RPP has long advocated for the restoration of a constitutional monarchy within a parliamentary system as opposed to a republic, the faction claims the leadership has weakened the party’s stance. Under the leadership of General Secretary Rana, the dissenting faction has expressed that the current leadership fails to prioritize ‘principled and people-centered politics’ over power-centric agendas, which they believe should be the party’s primary focus. The draft prepared for collective resignation contains objections from the dissatisfied faction over the decision to join the government after elections.
Without informing the Central Working Committee, party leadership reportedly became a partner in the coalition program of the Prachanda government aimed at ‘strengthening the federal democratic republic.’ The phrase ‘strengthening the federal democratic republic’ in the program sparked controversy. Chairman Lingden accepted the ministry of energy and joined the government under the RPP banner.
Supporters of General Secretary Rana are in talks to leave the party on Sunday and form a new political force. A meeting of office bearers and central members held in Kathmandu discussed the creation of this new force. They plan to launch a signature campaign toward collective resignation and finalize decisions on June 4. After the meeting, leader Rana publicly urged everyone to participate in this new campaign.
“We tried to steer the Rastriya Prajatantra Party in line with popular sentiment over the past four years, but contradictions and opposition forced it on the wrong path. The RPP has suffered due to public rejection,” he said. “If comrades inside RPP believe that path is correct, we wish them well with no ill will.”
The meeting emphasized the need to unite nationalist forces and incorporate ordinary citizens who differ from the current RPP. Monarchist supporters expressed intentions to engage in dialogue with leaders of other parties. A participant leader said, ‘We plan to discuss strengthening the monarchy agenda with Congress leader Shankar Bhandari, businessman Durga Prasai, and leader Keshar Bahadur Bista.’ The dissatisfied faction concluded by calling nationalists and Hindu advocates nationwide to unite, considering the current political transition.
Leader Ranjan Karki said, “Since our expectations remain unmet by the RPP, a new political force is now necessary. We will unify and build this force in a new way for new circumstances.” The new party to be formed after leaving RPP intends to include more youth members. The meeting raised the need to initiate efforts and campaigns to cultivate youth as nationalists and Hindu advocates.
The dissenting faction is also unhappy with the acceptance of Speaker and Deputy Speaker posts in central and provincial governments, which contradict party policy. Ambar Bahadur Bista became Speaker in Koshi, Bhuvan Pathak in Bagmati, and Menuka Khan KC was Deputy Speaker in Lumbini Province. The faction opposed seeking positions in provincial governments given the party’s anti-federal stance. Despite actions contradicting the party’s core principles and general convention decisions, no clarifications have been provided by involved parties, according to the faction. The party has weakened and disputes have intensified since the last election.
Blaming leadership weaknesses for eroding public trust, the faction noted that 97 percent of the party’s candidate deposits were forfeited. Although the party received 330,684 votes in the proportional representation segment, only one candidate won directly. RPP party spokesperson Gyanendra Shahi won from Jumla directly, while Khushbu Oli, Tahir Ali, Bharat Giri, and Saraswati Lama entered parliament via proportional representation.
Issues such as arbitrary disciplinary actions, disregard for youth leadership, unilateral decisions, and failure to adhere to the party constitution were highlighted by the dissatisfied faction. They have also expressed concern that some leaders affiliated with Ravindra Mishra’s faction have not been updated on the Election Commission’s records.
“The Election Commission remains unaware of which central members have joined or left, or which parties and groups have merged. Founding leaders and activists have repeatedly tried to ensure constitutional compliance, but leadership remains uncorrected,” they said.
The faction noted that the founding leadership’s lack of cooperation in the monarchy restoration movement necessitates the formation of a new political force. They accused Chairman Lingden of undermining pro-monarchy movements and pointed out that no proposals supporting constitutional monarchy were tabled in parliament. The faction cited specific dates, including March 29, 2025 (Chaitra 15, 2081 in Nepali calendar) at Tanku and previous protests in May, where they accused Lingden of opposing pro-monarchy initiatives.
The faction has also urgently demanded a party general convention. Although the Central Committee decided to hold the convention within June, the exact date has not been set. The faction has continuously opposed disciplinary actions, describing them as reckless and constitutionally non-compliant. Leaders including Vice Chairman Mukundshyam Gir, Sagun Lawati, and Dhansur Shahi have faced unconstitutional disciplinary measures. Dissatisfaction increased after the removal of Disciplinary Committee Coordinator Navaraj Subedi.
Vice Chairman Dilvikas Rajbhandari and Central Member Suresh Acharya were removed from their posts amid allegations of sabotaging candidates. Former chairmen Pasupati Shamshere Rana, Prakashchandra Lohani, and Kamal Thapa have appealed through a statement for members not to abandon the party. According to them, the date for the party’s general convention has been fixed by the Central Working Committee, and members are urged not to doubt that it will be held as scheduled.