RSP decides to participate in local government by-elections

KATHMANDU: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has decided to participate in the upcoming local government by-elections.

RSP Acting Spokesperson Manish Jha made the announcement following a meeting of the party’s central committee on Wednesday.

The Election Commission (EC) has already proposed to the government to hold the by-elections in mid-December. The date, however, has not been fixed yet. According to the EC, by-elections must be conducted to fill 34 positions in different local governments.

This will be RSP’s first-ever participation in local government by-elections since its formation.

The RSP was established on June 21, 2022, and registered with the Election Commission on July 1, 2022. The party did not participate in the local government elections of 2022 or the provincial assembly elections held later that year.

RSP has 21 seats in the House of Representatives.

Jha also said that the meeting also decided that the party would lobby against setting a statute of limitations on corruption cases. “The meeting has decided to lobby against any statute of limitations for corruption and to oppose such limitations through various means, including street protests and parliamentary debates,” Jha added.

The meeting also decided to seek a final clarification from suspended General Secretary Mukul Dhakal before taking any further action against him, according to Jha.