Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Former leaders of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), led by former General Secretary Dhawal Shumsher Rana, have joined hands with controversial businessperson Durga Prasai to launch a new political party.
Sagun Sundar Lawati, a close associate of Rana, told Himal Press over the phone that the Jaya Nepal Party (JNP) will be formally registered with the Election Commission on August 13.
First used by martyr Shukra Raj Shastri, ‘Jaya Nepal’ is a catchy phrase and a patriotic slogan which translates to ‘victory of Nepal’ in English. It is used for greeting by the country’s police forces as well as the Nepali Congress party.
Lawati said discussions are still underway on the party’s election symbol.
According to him, Rana will serve as the party’s chairperson, while Prasai will assume the role of supreme leader.
Nearly 200 RPP leaders, including Mukund Shyam Giri, Dilnath Giri, Keshav Raj Shrestha, Narayan Prasad Koirala and Lawati, left the party under Rana’s leadership on June 4.
Prasai, meanwhile, has been leading a separate nationalist campaign. The new party will mark his first formal affiliation with a political organization.
Several RPP leaders, including Rana and Rabindra Mishra, had backed the pro-monarchy movement led by Prasai and Panchayat-era royalist leader Navaraj Subedi in Kathmandu on March 28.
Two people were killed and more than three dozen others were injured when protesters clashed with police during the demonstration.
