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KATHMANDU: After Sudan Kirati, a member of the presidium of the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), submitted his resignation, concerns are growing regarding his next political move. Although he resigned from the presidium immediately after the march 5 elections, the party has not accepted his resignation.
A source closed to Kirati said the former tourism minister and CPN (Maoist Center) leader has submitted his resignation again after the first resignation was not accepted.
“He had resigned earlier on moral grounds. But since it was not approved, he has submitted another resignation,” the source said. “Kirati has resigned from his position, not from the party.”
However, he is not expected to remain in the PDP for long. Multiple sources say Kirati has concluded that he cannot continue with the party due to its electoral defeat and uncertain future.
They say Kirati made up his mind to exit due to the PDP’s multi-layered leadership structure and its inconsistent electoral strategy. “In some places, the party supported CPN-UML and Nepali Congress (NC), while it support others elsewhere. These were not collective decisions,” one source told Himal Press. “It was driven by individual leaders’ preferences.”
Kirati himself did not contest the election. A former member of House of Representatives, he supported the candidate of Harka Sampang-led Shram Sanskriti Party (SSP) in his constituency.
“Wherever Kirati supported, we won,” SSP leader Dhruva Rai had said after the election.
Leaders close to Kirati say discussions are ongoing with various political forces following recent developments. “Since he formally supported the SSP in Sunsari-1, Bhojpur and Khotang in the election, it is natural to speculate about a possible alignment with such forces,” a leader close to Kirati said.
Since SSP won elections only in the three seats where Kirati supported its candidates, SSP leaders say Kirati’s political standing has improved in regions where the party’s influence is high. Now, not just leaders but also supporters are urging him to move forward with Harka Sampang. They argue that identity-based politics in eastern Nepal should be unified, bringing together Harka and other like-minded leaders.
However, Kirati’s camp has not taken an official position on this. “SSP appears closer to us. But the question is how Kirati in the party,” the leader close to Kirati said.
The SSP is heavily dominated by Sampang, with his directives effectively functioning as party rules, and its guiding principle often described as “Harkaism.” This has raised concerns among Kirati’s allies about long-term cooperation.
“Harka Sampang is not someone who easily compromises. That makes it uncertain whether they can work together for long,” the source added.
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Kirati had earlier described his support for the SSP as “unconditional.” “I stepped aside to allow a single candidate to contest in some constituencies,” he had said during the election.
Kirati has been elected form Bhojpur three times. In 2008, he defeated UML leader Sherdhan Rai to enter House of Representatives from the Bhojpur-2 constituency. In 2013, Rai won while Kirati was defeated.
In 2017, when Rai contested provincial elections, Kirati got the chance to run for the House of Representatives. Backed by the left alliance (UML–Maoist), he won that election with Rai’s support. In 2022, Kirati again defeated Rai, this time as part of the NC–Maoist Center alliance.
This time, however, Kirati did not contest. Shortly before the election, he broke away PDP together with some other Maoist Center leaders. Now, he is preparing to leave the party.
Leaders close to Kirati say discussions are underway on whether he might join the SSP and contest provincial elections.
“There is still uncertainty about where he will go next,” a close associate said. “But there is also a sense that he should now move toward provincial politics.”
Sources say Kirati is considering contesting in the provincial election with the aim of becoming Chief Minister. “We supported SSP in the March 5 elections; now they should support us,” the leader close to Kirati said.
Meanwhile, the SSP says it is open to welcoming Kirati. “Not just him, we are ready to welcome anyone,” said SSP Spokesperson Satya Ghale Gurung.a
