Prachanda and Baburam resumed discussions on unification

In a renewed effort to consolidate their political forces, the CPN (Maoist Center) and the Nepal Samajwadi Party (NSP) led by Baburam Bhattarai have resumed discussions on unification. The NSP, which participated in the previous general election with the Maoist Center’s election symbol, has engaged in intermittent talks about merging since then.

After a series of discussions, both parties agreed on November 19 to establish a coordination committee dedicated to the unification process. Krishna Bahadur Mahara, the coordinator of the Maoist talks team, and his NSP counterpart Ganga Narayan Shrestha issued a joint statement, recommending the formation of a coordination committee to the leadership of both parties.

The NSP addressed the unification issue during its central executive committee meeting, with plans for further deliberations in a central committee meeting scheduled from Wednesday. Roshan Pokharel, NSP Central Office Chief, revealed that both parties are actively working on forming their respective coordination committees under the leadership of Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Baburam Bhattarai.

A significant hurdle in the discussions revolves around the naming of the unified party, with deliberations considering options such as CPN or CPN (Socialist). Bhattarai has been advocating for the latter, emphasizing the socialist identity.

The unification talks gained momentum after Maoist Center Chairman Dahal and General Secretary Dev Gurung wrote to Mahindra Raya Yadav, one of the NSP chairmen, expressing their commitment to the unification cause back in September. Notably, the NSP has two chairmen, with Bhattarai holding the primary position.

Bhattarai, who withdrew from parliamentary politics, leaving his constituency to Dahal, has long championed the formation of a grand socialist front. However, his party was excluded when the Socialist Front was established, leading to bitterness between Dahal and Bhattarai.

The discord escalated when Bhattarai claimed that Dahal’s focus on personal interests hindered the possibility of unification. In response, the Maoist Center’s office-bearers decided in a meeting on September 11 to initiate discussions on changing the party’s name and consider the decision during the next general convention.

The party’s central committee, convened in Kathmandu from August 1-6, had earlier formed a committee under Vice-chairman Krishna Bahadur Mahara to explore unification possibilities with other communist parties, including former Maoists. Despite efforts to bring Netra Bikram Chand into the party, Dahal had instructed a temporary halt to unification until the general convention.

The history of the Maoist Center includes a previous attempt to unite with CPN-UML in May 2018, resulting in the formation of CPN. However, the Supreme Court invalidated the merger, reverting the two parties to their pre-unification status. The Maoist Center now seeks to shed its association with a violent past by contemplating a name change, conveying a message of transformation from erstwhile rebels to a changed political entity.