Loktantrik Samajwadi Party, Nepal

The Loktantrik Samajwadi Party, Nepal (Nepali: लोकतान्त्रिक समाजवादी पार्टी, lit.'Democratic Socialist Party') is the tenth largest political party in Nepal. The party has a significant presence in Madhesh Province and Lumbini Province of Nepal. The party's election symbol is a bicycle.[4]

Loktantrik Samajwadi Party, Nepal
लोकतान्त्रिक समाजवादी पार्टी, नेपाल
PresidentMahantha Thakur
Senior leaderSharat Singh Bhandari
Founded18 August 2021; 3 years ago (2021-08-18)
Split fromPeople's Socialist Party, Nepal
HeadquartersBabarmahal, Kathmandu
Student wingDemocratic Student Union
IdeologyMadheshi regionalism
Social democracy
Political positionCentre-left
AllianceDemocratic Alliance[1][2][3]
Colours 
House of Representatives
4 / 275
National Assembly
1 / 59
Madhesh Provincial Assembly
9 / 107
Lumbini Provincial Assembly
3 / 87
Mayors/Chairs
16 / 753
Councillors
581 / 35,011
Election symbol
Party flag

The party was officially registered with the Election Commission, Nepal on 18 August 2021.[5][6] Mahantha Thakur is the president of the new party.[7][8] As of August 2022, the party shares an alliance with Nepali Congress.[9][10]

Ideology

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The party follows the norms of social democracy, identity and Madhesi rights.[11]

Ideologically, the party has been close to the Nepali Congress, while majority of its leaders have been part of Congress at different points in time, especially before the 2006 Madhesh Movement.[11] Party president Mahantha Thakur and senior leader Sharat Singh Bhandari were popular Congress men at a time. Thakur himself was treasurer and head of party disciplinary department before he left the Nepali Congress party.[12] They were elected several times to the House of Representatives on the party ticket.[13]

History

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Registration

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The President of Nepal issued the second ordinance to amend the Political Parties Act on 18 August 2021.[14][15] This opened the way to formalize the splits inside the dispute between two factions of Janata Samajbadi Party, Nepal. The faction of party led by Mahantha Thakur, which had a long dispute with party chairman Upendra Yadav registered their party with the Election Commission.[16] At the time of the launch, the party claimed to have 13 members in the two national houses of parliament.[17][18]

The new party was supported by 16 MLAs in Madhesh Provincial Assembly. A Central Committee with 24 members was announced as well.[19]

First local election

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The party emerged as fourth largest party of Madhesh province winning 16 local levels from among 753 local levels even standing alone in the elections.[8] Nepali Congress emerged as single largest party of Madhesh province for second consecutive term, CPN (UML) emerged as second and while Janta Samajbadi was limited to third position.[20]

First general election

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In the mid of March, the party started talks with the Nepali Congress for a possible long term alliance between the two parties. Party chairman revealed this in a party meet in Janakpur on 22 March 2022.[21] The party formed a committee for bilateral talks with Nepali Congress consisting Sharbendra Nath Shukla and Laxman Lal Karna in which party senior leader Sharat Singh Bhandari played vital role as mediator.[21]

Bhandari had stood long for a Loktantrik alliance between democratic parties of Nepal. Both Loktantrik Samajwadi Party and Nepali Congress have some common ideologies including social democracy, democratic socialism.[22] The party won 9 seats in Madhesh province while it won 3 seats in Lumbini province. However, in the general election it was limited to 4 seats only after being unable to cross 3% threshold due to wave of newly formed parties.[23][24][25]

List of Members of Parliament

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Members of Rastriya Sabha

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Loktantrik Samajwadi Party (1)
Constituency Member Portfolio & Responsibilities / Remarks
Madhesh Shekhar Kumar Singh
  • Parliamentary party leader

Members of Pratinidhi Sabha

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Loktantrik Samajwadi Party (4)
Constituency/PR group Member Portfolio & Responsibilities / Remarks
Mahottari 3 Mahantha Thakur
  • Parliamentary party leader
Sarlahi 1 Ram Prakash Chaudhary
  • Chief whip
Mahottari 2 Sharat Singh Bhandari
Rupandehi 4 Sarbendra Nath Shukla

Electoral performance

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General election

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Election Leader Party list votes Seats Position Resulting government
No. %
2022 Mahantha Thakur 167,367 1.58[a]
4 / 275
9th Confidence & supply
  1. ^ Represented as Independent for not reaching the 3% threshold

Provincial election

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Province Election Party list votes Seats Position Resulting government
No. %
Madhesh 2022 113,364 5.43
9 / 107
5th Confidence & supply
Lumbini 37,631 1.99
3 / 87
6th Confidence & supply

Local election

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Election Leader Mayoral seats won
2022 Mahantha Thakur
16 / 753

List of cabinet ministers

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No. Name Portrait Term of office Days in office Ministerial incharge
Central government
1 Sharat Singh Bhandari 31 March 2023[26] 4 March 2024 339 days Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security
15 July 2024 Incumbent 111 days
Madhesh government
1 Ramesh Prasad Kurmi 25 May 2023[27] 16 April 2024 327 days Minister for Forest and Environment
2 Rani Kumari Tiwari 18 July 2024 Incumbent 108 days Minister for Education and Culture
Lumbini government
1 Santosh Kumar Pandeya 28 April 2023[28][29] 4 April 2024 342 days Minister for Interior Affairs, Law and Co-operatives

Leadership

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Chairmen

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "जसपा गठबन्धनबाट बाहिरियो, अब चार दलबीच मात्रै सिट बाँडफाँटमा सहमति हुने".
  2. ^ "Local elections: 5-party ruling alliance to fight together across Nepal". 11 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Five-party alliance organize mass gathering".
  4. ^ "'जसपा लोकतान्त्रिक' दर्ता गर्ने तयारी गर्दै ठाकुर पक्ष, चुनाव चिह्न भने 'साइकल'!". www.hamropatro.com. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Online Khabar". Online Khabar. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Aided by Deuba ordinance, dissidents split two parties". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  7. ^ a b पाठ, भुवन शर्मा काठमाडौँ ३ भाद्र २०७८ ३ मिनेट. "ठाकुरको अध्यक्षतामा जसपा लोकतान्त्रिक". nagariknews.nagariknetwork.com (in Nepali). Retrieved 19 August 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ a b "मधेशवादी दललाई मधेशमै धक्का- लोसपाको क्षयीकरण हुँदा जसपालाई अस्तित्व जोगाउनै हम्मे, बजेन सीके राउतको हर्न". Lokaantar (in Nepali). Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  9. ^ "कांग्रेस-एमाले समीकरणलाई समर्थन गर्ने लोसपाको निर्णय". Setopati. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  10. ^ "कांग्रेस-एमाले सहमतिबारे लोसपा बैठकमा छलफल". Online Khabar. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  11. ^ a b "लोसपाको चुनावी गठबन्धन कुन दलसँग ?". ekantipur.com (in Nepali). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  12. ^ रातोपाटी. "महन्थ ठाकुर : राजनीतिका एक सन्यासी !". RatoPati (in Nepali). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  13. ^ "महोत्तरी क्षेत्र न.ं २ का शरत सिंह भण्डारीको जिवनी". www.radiosonamai.org.np/. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  14. ^ "President Bhandari issues ordinance to amend Political Parties Act". The Himalayan Times. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  15. ^ "Prez Bhandari issues 'party-split' ordinance". My Republica. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  16. ^ "ठाकुर समूहको पार्टीको नाम 'जसपा नेपाल लोकतान्त्रिक'". ekantipur.com (in Nepali). Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  17. ^ "महन्थ ठाकुरको अध्यक्षतामा जसपा नेपाल (लोकतान्त्रिक) पार्टी गठन, चुनाव चिन्ह साइकल". ekantipur.com (in Nepali). Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  18. ^ "Madhav Kumar Nepal, Mahantha Thakur register new parties; commission's approval likely in 2 weeks". 19 August 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  19. ^ "यस्तो छ जसपा (लोकतान्त्रिक)को २४ सदस्यीय कार्यकारिणी समिति". www.hamropatro.com. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  20. ^ रातोपाटी. "लोसपा र जनमत पार्टी 'रेड जोन'मा". RatoPati (in Nepali). Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  21. ^ a b "सत्ता गठबन्धनमा लोसपाको इन्ट्री !". सत्ता गठबन्धनमा लोसपाको इन्ट्री !. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  22. ^ "के गर्दै छ लोसपा–कांग्रेस कार्यदल ?". के गर्दै छ लोसपा–कांग्रेस कार्यदल ?. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  23. ^ सर्वसम्मत, बाह्रखरी :: लोसपा लुम्बिनी संसदीय दलको नेतामा पाण्डेय. "लोसपा लुम्बिनी संसदीय दलको नेतामा पाण्डेय सर्वसम्मत". लोसपा लुम्बिनी संसदीय दलको नेतामा पाण्डेय सर्वसम्मत. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  24. ^ "लोसपा मधेश प्रदेश संसदीय दलको नेता चुनिए शर्मा". Online Khabar. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  25. ^ "लोसपा संसदीय दलको नेतामा महन्थ ठाकुर". Himal Khabar. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  26. ^ "Dahal appoints eleven ministers amid disputes, Cabinet yet to get full shape". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  27. ^ "मधेश सरकारमा लोसपा पनि सहभागी, कुर्मी वनमन्त्री नियुक्त". Online Khabar. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  28. ^ "लुम्बिनीका मुख्यमन्त्री र मन्त्रीले लिए शपथ". ekantipur.com (in Nepali). Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  29. ^ "लुम्बिनीका मुख्यमन्त्री डिल्ली चौधरीले लिए शपथ, तीन मन्त्री विना विभागीय". Online Khabar. Retrieved 29 April 2023.