Surya Bahadur Thapa elected chairman of new RPP

Kathmandu, May 20 – A “unity convention” of pro-monarchist Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and Rastriya Janashakti Party (RJP) on Sunday unanimously elected former prime minister Surya Bahadur Thapa as the chairman of the new party to be formed after the merger between the two parties.

The top leaders of the two parties stood in favour of a single leadership for the new party following party merger after their activists rejected the proposal of “rotational leadership” system.

During the closed session of the convention that was delayed by the dispute on the issue, Pashupati Sumsher Rana put forth the proposal of making Thapa as the chairman of the new party while former prime minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand and Prakash Chandra Lohani had supported the motion.

The top leaders of the two parties decided to retain the name Rastriya Prajatantra Party following severe opposition of the activists of the two parties of plans to name the new party formed after the party merger as Rastriya Shakti Prajantantra Party.