Kathmandu, May 9
The UCPN-Maoist and the Badal faction of the Mohan Baidhya-led CPN-Revolutionary Maoist are formally uniting in the first week of Jestha (in about a week from now).
The two sides are making final preparations for the unification. As part of preparations for the same, the two teams under UCPN-Maoist Chair Prachanda and the Badal faction’s Ram Bahadur Thapa ‘Badal’ held discussions late into Sunday night.
The two sides are working to forge a common stance on organisational and political matters, a senior leader said. UCPN-Maoist is holding a meeting on Monday to take a decision on unification, based on discussions with Badal.
Badal, general secretary of the Baidhya-led party, has called a meeting of the party central committee on Tuesday. Badal took the initiative for the meeting as party Chief Mohan Baidhya was not willing to convene the CC meeting, in a bid to avert a possible split within his party.
Baidhya had shelved his party’s CC meeting for a month, after it became clear that most CC members of his party were in favour of uniting with the Prachanda-led party. But he did not convene a CC meeting even after a month. Now, Badal is preparing to take a decision on majority basis and unite with Prachanda’s party.
We have called a central committee meeting tomorrow. The meeting will make a decision on unity, Ram Dip Acharya, a leader in favour of unification, told Onlinekhabar.
Meanwhile, at the 11th hour, CPN-RM’s Secretary Dev Gurung is supporting Badal instead of Baidhya.
Apart from Baidhya, party Vice-president CP Gajurel and leaders, including Hari Bhakta Kandel, are against uniting with the Prachanda-led party. Once Badal secures a majority support for his step and UCPN-Maoist makes a decision, there will be a declaration of party unity. In the first week of Jeth, we will merge central committees of the two parties and announce the unification, a senior UCPN-Maoist leader said.
