Kathmandu: Nagarik Unmukti Party is comparatively a new political entity in Nepal. The party was formally registered in January 2022.
Resham Chaudhary, who is serving a life sentence at the Dillibazar Jail on a charge of masterminding the Tikapur massacre in 2015 incident, is said to be the initiator of the party. According to media reports, Resham Chaudhary wanted to register the party under his leadership.
The attempt, however, could not be possible as he has been serving the jail term. In the first week of January 2022, Chaudhary had written a formal letter to the Department of Prison Management and the Election Commission to allow him to register a new political force under his leadership. But both agencies refused to do so.
Later, the party was registered under the leadership of Ranjita Shrestha, Chaudhary’s wife.
Before setting up Nagarik Unmukti Party, Chaudhary was associated with Loktantrik Samajwadi Party Nepal (LSP), a party born in the wake of the split in Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP).
Resham Chaudhary, a popular face in Kailali district of Nepal, is one of the main accused of inciting violent activities in the Tikapur lynching in 2015. As many as eight police personnel including an SSP of Nepal Police and a toddler were lynched in the incident on August 24, 2015.
Later Chaudhary was convicted by the Kailali District Court. Following the court decision, he pleaded the case at Dipayal High Court but the high court refused to review the verdict. The case is currently sub-judice at the Supreme Court (SC).
Chaudhary has been serving a jail term after surrendering before the Kailali District Court in February 2018.
In the previous federal parliament elections, he won the election from hiding. He was sworn in as a House of Representatives (HoR) member on January 3, 2019, even as the case was sub-judice in the district court.
Nagarik Unmukti Party has been in the limelight during this election as it is expected to win seats of all three parliamentary constituencies from Kailali.
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