Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The Janamat Party, led by CK Raut, and the Nagrik Unmukti Party (NUP), with Resham Chaudhary as its patron, are announcing their merger on April 30.
Janamat Chairperson Raut confirmed that preparations for the merger announcement are underway. He said that although there were attempts to obstruct the unification, the merger is now certain to happen. “Whether by sowing discord within families, using money, vehicles or resources to influence party officials, spreading defamatory news in the media to tarnish reputations, attacking us in the name of religion or caste, conspiring to split the party, attempting to buy central committee members or MPs, or threatening to kill me or re-arrest Resham ji, no effort has been spared,” Raut wrote on social media. “But we are undeterred, and we urge you not to be discouraged. The people’s aspirations demand unity, and we will move forward with the merger. It will happen.”
Both parties are finalizing details such as leadership hierarchy, party name and flag. A meeting of the joint task force of the two parties held in Bardiya on April 7 finalized the merger framework. As per the agreement, the unified party will be named Nagrik-Janamat Party, and it will ‘Dhakia’ (bamboo basket), currently used by Nagarik Unmukti as the election symbol. The flag will be purple, featuring the Dhakia symbol in the center.
According to the agreement, Resham Chaudhary will be the patron and hold the first rank in the unified party, while Raut will serve as the executive chairperson with the second rank, and Ranjita Shrestha, currently the chairperson of Nagarik Unmukti, will be co-chairperson with the third rank. Although Shrestha initially expressed dissatisfaction with her third-rank position, she has confirmed that the merger process is proceeding as agreed.
Janamat and Nagarik Unmukti emerged as strong political forces in the eastern and western Tarai, respectively, in the 2022 general elections. Analysts believe the unified party could emerge as an alternative political force in Madhesh, challenging established Madhesh-centric parties.
