Upendra Yadav Moves SC to Bar JSP Lawmakers from Voting in Floor Test

Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav has filed another writ petition at the Supreme Court. The petition, filed by an advocate on Yadav’s behalf on Sunday, demands that the seven lawmakers of the Ashok Rai-led Janata Samajwadi Party not be allowed to participate in the upcoming vote of confidence in the House of Representatives.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is set to face a floor test in the House of Representatives on Monday. The Prime Minister’s Office has already informed the general secretary of the Federal Parliament Secretariat regarding the test.

Supreme Court’s information officer, Govinda Prasad Ghimire, confirmed that the petition specifically targets the seven lawmakers of the new Janata Samajwadi Party.

The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing on this petition for Monday.

On May 5, Ashok Rai and six other lawmakers split from the Upendra Yadav-led JSP Nepal and subsequently applied to the Election Commission to register a new party under the same name, Janata Samajwadi Party. The Election Commission approved the registration on May 6.

Following the split, the Election Commission provided representatives elected from JSP Nepal 21 days to verify their party affiliation.

In response, on May 13, Yadav filed a petition against the Election Commission’s decision to recognize the Rai-led faction. The Supreme Court, responding to Yadav’s petition on May 15, ordered the Commission to temporarily halt the registration of the new party and any subsequent decisions related to it.

The Court has also summoned both factions for a discussion scheduled for May 21.