RPP formally splits as Dhawal Shamsher Rana leads breakaway faction

Nepal's royalist opposition party, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), has fractured, with a significant faction led by General Secretary Dhawal Shamsher Rana formally announcing its departure on Thursday. The split involves 183 leaders and members, including several senior figures, who have quit the RPP after months of internal conflict.

Key figures joining Rana include Vice-chair Mukund Shyam Giri, former minister Dilnath Giri, leader Keshav Raj Shrestha, and Work Execution Committee member Narayan Prasad Koirala. Sagun Sundar Lawati, previously stripped of his party spokesperson role, has also left. Most of the departing members hold central and provincial committee positions.

Rana stated at a press conference that the breakaway faction will soon establish a new political party, describing the RPP's internal situation over the past four years as "difficult and frustrating." This move culminates a protracted power struggle between Rana and party chair Rajendra Lingden, which has defined the RPP's internal politics since Lingden assumed leadership four years ago.

The party establishment accused Rana of advocating for an active monarchy and undermining official policy on constitutional monarchy. Conversely, Rana's faction criticized Lingden for authoritarian leadership and using disciplinary actions against dissenters, asserting their internal campaign aimed to counter arbitrary decision-making. A recent gathering organized by Rana's supporters demanded the party schedule its general convention for May, a demand that went unmet, exacerbating divisions and leading to the current split.

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difficult and frustrating