Rastriya Janamorcha (Nepali: राष्ट्रिय जनमोर्चा, lit. 'National People's Front') is a political party in Nepal. It was originally founded in 1995 as the legal front of Communist Party of Nepal (Masal). Former Deputy Prime Minister, Chitra Bahdur KC is the chairman of the party.[4][5]
Rastriya Janamorcha राष्ट्रिय जनमोर्चा | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairman | Chitra Bahadur K.C.[1] |
| Vice-president | Janak Bhatta Durga Paudel |
| General secretary | Manoj Bhatta |
| Secretary | Him Lal Puri |
| Treasurer | Madhu Chhetri |
| Founded | 1999 (original) 2006 (reestablished) |
| Split from | Janamorcha Nepal |
| Headquarters | Budhanilkantha-12, Jyotinagar, Kapan, Kathmandu |
| Student wing | All Nepal National Independent Students Union (Sixth) |
| Youth wing | All Nepal Democratic Youth Association |
| Women's wing | All Nepal Women's Association |
| Ideology | Communism Marxism–Leninism Maoism Anti-federalism[2][3] |
| Political position | Left-wing to far-left |
| National affiliation | Communist Party of Nepal (Masal) |
| Seats in National Assembly | 1 / 59 |
| Seats in House of Representatives | 1 / 275 |
| Seats in Lumbini Provincial Assembly | 1 / 87 |
| Mayors/Chairs | 4 / 753 |
| Councillors | 159 / 35,011 |
| Election symbol | |
 | |
It was re-founded again in 2006 after breaking away from Janamorcha Nepal and still acts as the legal front for the Mohan Bikram Singh led Communist Party of Nepal (Masal).[6] The party remains as a strong political force mainly in Baglung and Pyuthan district.
The party advocates decentralization within the former unitary system.[7]
History
editBefore formation (1991–1994)
editThe party contested the 1991 local elections as All Nepal Peasants Organization and contested in the 1994 legislative elections as All Nepal Rastriya Janamorcha.[8]
Merger and break away (2002–2008)
editIn 2002, the party merged with Samyukta Janamorcha Nepal the legal front of Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Centre) to form Janamorcha Nepal. Janamorcha Nepal acted as the legal front of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Centre-Masal). After Janamorcha Nepal joined the governing Seven Party Alliance in 2006, Chitra Bahadur KC broke away from the party to reclaim the name of Rastriya Janamorcha. The party held three seats in the Interim Legislature Parliament of Nepal.[6]
Constituent Assembly (2008–2015)
editThe party registered at the Election Commission of Nepal ahead of the 2008 Constituent Assembly elections.[9] The party won four seats in the election.[6]
In July 2010, the party expelled its General secretary Dilaram Acharya for breaking party discipline. He formed another party, Rastriya Janamorcha (Nepal) after his expulsion. The party won three seats in the 2013 Constituent Assembly election.[6]
Federal Nepal (2015–present)
editAfter the promulgation of the Constitution of Nepal, Rastriya Janamorcha joined the coalition government of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) and Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). This was the first time that the party had not been in opposition.[10] Following this, party Chairman Chitra Bahadur KC was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation.[11][4]
The party contested the 2017 Nepalese local elections and won 186 seats in local government. The party won mayoral posts in Bareng Rural Municipality in Baglung, Jhimruk and Malarani Rural Municipalities in Pyuthan.[12][13][14] Ahead of the 2017 legislative and provincial elections, the party joined the alliance of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) and Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre).[15] The party won one seat to the Federal Parliament of Nepal but did not cross the three percent threshold to become a national party. The party also won three seats in the Provincial Assembly of Gandaki Province and one seat in the Provincial Assembly of Lumbini Province.[16]
After the Nepalese political crisis in 2021, Rastriya Janamorcha stood in support of alliance led by Nepali Congress. It played major role in forming new government in Gandaki Province.[17] It gave external support and confidence to central government led by Sher Bahadur Deuba. The party was given a seat in National Assembly and hence Tul Prasad B.K. was elected as first National Assemblian from the party.[18]
Electoral performance
editLegislative elections
edit| Election | Leader | Constituency votes | Party list votes | Seats | Position | Resulting government | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | % change | No. | % | % change | No. | +/- | ||||
| 1999 | Chitra Bahadur KC | 121,394 | 1.41 | 5 / 205
|
5th | In opposition | |||||
| 2008 | Chitra Bahadur KC | 93,578 | 0.91 |  0.50
|
106,224 | 0.99 | 4 / 575
|
1
|
12th
|
In opposition | |
| 2013 | Chitra Bahadur KC | 66,666 | 0.74 | 0.17
|
92,387 | 0.98 | 0.01
|
3 / 575
|
1
|
 12th
|
In opposition |
| 2017 | Chitra Bahadur KC | 70,014 | 0.70 | 0.04
|
62,133 | 0.65[a] | 0.33
|
1 / 275
|
2
|
 10th
|
In opposition |
| 2022 | Chitra Bahadur KC | 57,278 | 0.55 | 0.15
|
46,504 | 0.44[a] | 0.21
|
1 / 275
|
|
12th
|
In opposition |
- ^ a b Represented as Independent for not reaching the 3% threshold
Provincial elections
editGandaki
edit| Election Year | Party list votes | Seats | Position | Resulting government | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | % change | # | +/- | |||
| 2017 | 19,376 | 2.03 | 3 / 60
|
4th | In opposition | ||
| 2022 | 14,940 | 1.52 | 0.51
|
0 / 60
|
3
|
7th
|
Extra-parliamentary |
Lumbini
edit| Election Year | Party list votes | Seats | Position | Resulting government | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | % change | # | +/- | |||
| 2017 | 32,546 | 2.02 | 1 / 87
|
6th | In opposition | ||
| 2022 | 32,647 | 1.73 | 0.29
|
1 / 87
|
|
10th
|
In opposition |
Leadership
editChairmen
edit- Chitra Bahadur K.C., 1999–2002 and 2006–present
General secretaries
edit- Nawaraj Subedi, 1999–2002
- Dilaram Acharya, 2006–2010
- Santa Bahadur Nepali, 2011–2016
- Janak Raj Sharma, 2016–2021
- Manoj Bhatta, 2021-present
List of Members of Parliament
edit| No. | Name | Province | Quota | Appointment date | Retirement date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Tul Prasad B.K. | Lumbini | Dalit | January 2021 | January 2027 |
List of Pratinidhi Sabha members from Rastriya Janamorcha
| No. | Name | Constituency | Appointment date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Chitra Bahadur K.C. | Baglung 1 | 2022 |
Sister organisations
edit- All Nepal Trade Union Congress
- All Nepal Women's Association
- ANNISU (6th)
- All Nepal Janatati Conference
- Jatiya Samata Samaj
- All Nepal Democratic Youth Association
- Raktim Sanskritik Pariwar
- Akhil Nepal Buddhijibi Sangh[19]
- All Nepal Teachers' Association
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) : Activities » Activities Update » Activity Details Archived 2008-05-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Chitra Bahadur blames federalism for corruption". The Himalayan Times. 2019-09-28. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
- ^ "Federalism major hindrance to constitution writing: Chitra Bahadur KC". The Kathmandu Post. 2015-02-24. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
- ^ a b "झलनाथका गुरु ७५ वर्षमा उपप्रधानमन्त्री बने". Online Khabar. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
- ^ "चित्रबहादुर केसी पुनः अध्यक्ष". Himalkhabar.com. 2016-02-22. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
- ^ a b c d Political handbook of the world 2015. Lansford, Tom. Los Angeles, California. 2015-04-24. ISBN 9781483371573. OCLC 912321323.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ eKantipur.com - Nepal's No.1 News Portal Archived 2008-02-10 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "राष्ट्रिय जनमोर्चा, Rastriya Janamorcha - RAJAMO, National Peoples' Front". rajamo.org. Archived from the original on 2018-04-18. Retrieved 2018-04-17.
- ^ पार्टीको सूची — Election Commission of Nepal Archived 2013-11-02 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Janamorcha to join govt for first time in history - The Himalayan Times". The Himalayan Times. 2015-10-28. Retrieved 2018-04-17.
- ^ "3 more DPMs, 4 ministers sworn-in; total Cabinet strength is 26 - The Himalayan Times". The Himalayan Times. 2015-11-05. Retrieved 2018-04-17.
- ^ "4,888 representatives elected in 115 local units; with the list of winning chairpersons/mayors | NepaleKhabar.com". nepaleKhabar. Retrieved 2018-04-17.
- ^ Nepal, Review. "Rastriya Janamorcha wins elections in Malla Rani Rural Municipality of Pyuthan district - Review Nepal News". Review Nepal News. Retrieved 2018-04-17.
- ^ "Fringe parties limited to handful wins". Retrieved 2018-04-17.
- ^ "Rastriya Janamorcha to support left alliance". My Republica. Retrieved 2018-04-17.
- ^ "Provincial PR seat allocation to parties complete". The Himalayan Times. 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2018-04-17.
- ^ "'अब काँध थाप्न सक्दैनौं, अविश्वासको प्रस्तावमै हस्ताक्षर गर्छौं'". Online Khabar. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
- ^ "राष्ट्रिय सभा निर्वाचन: १८ सिटमा गठबन्धन, एकमा एमाले निर्वाचित". ekantipur.com (in Nepali). Retrieved 2022-01-26.
- ^ Weekly Nepal - Weekly News from Nepal - हाँकका मुख्य समाचारहरु[permanent dead link]