Kathmandu, April 12
The Baburam Bhattarai-led Naya Shakti Nepal and Upendra Yadav-led Federal Socialist Forum are preparing to announce thier unification in the next few days.
According to sources, a taskforce formed by the two parties to negotiate the unification is preparing a blueprint for the merger and Yadav and Bhattarai have been in constant touch. Contentious issues that the team could not resolve have been sent to Bhattrai and Yadav.
“We are close to an agreement on the manifesto, flag, and the election symbol,” a Naya Shakti leader told Onlinekhabar. The name of the new party has, however, not been finalised yet.
Sources say Yadav has agreed to accept Bhattarai as the head of the new party. However, the pecking order of other leaders from both the parties remain contentious.
The parties say they do not have major differences when it comes to political ideology, with one exception. Yadav’s party has not accepted the new constitution while Bhattarai’s party has accepted it. Both parties are yet to decide if they want to contest elections or boycott it to take to the streets.
