The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has called a central committee meeting to formally decide on the nomination of senior leader Balendra Shah as the parliamentary party leader and Prime Minister. This is the first central committee meeting of the RSS after winning nearly two-thirds of the seats in the House of Representatives elections. 

The central committee meeting to be held at the central office, Banasthali, at 4 pm on Thursday will be chaired by President Ravi Lamichhane. Senior leader Shah will also be present in the meeting. Shah has not participated in the previous meetings of the RSS secretariat and central committee. 

The RSS will decide to send Shah as the parliamentary party leader and Prime Minister from the central committee. The RSS Central Committee, which has concluded that the political agreement reached between the RSS and Shah on 13 Poush has 'overruled' the provision for electing the parliamentary party leader in the party statute, is going to direct Shah to be elected as the parliamentary party leader. The central committee is going to advance Shah as the parliamentary party leader based on the provisions of the RSS statute that the political decision has been approved and the obstacles have been removed.

As soon as the central committee meeting directs Shah to select the party leader, a parliamentary party meeting will be held at the central office on Thursday and a decision will be taken, said RSVP General Secretary Kavindra Burlakoti. 

As soon as the central committee meeting directs Shah to select the party leader, a parliamentary party meeting will be held at the central office on Thursday and a decision will be taken, said RSVP General Secretary Kavindra Burlakoti. The RSVP statute provides for an election to select the parliamentary party leader. Article 66 (8) of the RSVP statute provides for the election of the parliamentary party leader by the ordinary members of the party. ‘Before the federal election, an election will be held to select the leader of the parliamentary party of the House of Representatives among the candidates selected by the party for the federal election through proportional and direct representation. All ordinary members of the party will be eligible to vote in the election (of the party leader),’ says Article 66 (8a) of the statute. 

 The RSVP statute provides that the candidate who secures 50 percent of the votes cast in the election will be the leader of the parliamentary party. If no candidate manages to secure 50 percent of the votes, there is a provision for a re-election between the two candidates who secure the most votes. The statute also provides for the leader of the parliamentary party to become the Prime Minister if the party takes the lead in the government. However, things are going to be different in practice. 

The then Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Balendra Shah, joined the RSVP. During the unification, the leader of the parliamentary party and the future Prime Minister of the party were announced in the agreement reached between the RSVP and Shah on 13 Poush. ‘Ravi Lamichhane will remain the central president of the National Independent Party, and after the upcoming House of Representatives elections, Balendra Shah will be the leader of the parliamentary party and the candidate for the future Prime Minister,’ is mentioned in point 4 of the seven-point agreement. 

For the time being, the decision can be made by relying on the provision for removing obstacles in the statute. Article 80 of the statute provides for removing obstacles. ‘If there is any obstacle in the implementation of this statute, the Central Committee will have the right to remove such obstacles,’ reads Article 80 of the statute.

The agreement reached to select the parliamentary party leader has already been approved by the party’s Central Committee, so the provision for selecting the parliamentary party leader in the statute now will not cause any problems, according to the leaders of the party. They had also consulted legal experts on this issue. General Secretary Burlakoti said that they will move forward according to the agreement reached on 13 Poush. 

‘The Central Committee has already approved the political agreement that Shah will become the leader of the parliamentary party and Prime Minister. The Central Committee meeting to be held now will direct the parliamentary party to act according to the same agreement on behalf of the party,’ Burlakoti said. ‘We will not go to the trouble of amending the statute because the political agreement has shown us a sufficient way to move forward.’

RSP MP Sobita Gautam argues that there is no need to amend the statute now because the political agreement has already created the situation to make Shah the party leader and Prime Minister. "The current situation in the party was created after a political agreement. The party takes decisions on political issues. After all the leaders come together in favor of the agreement and Shah is the candidate for the next Prime Minister, the central committee and parliamentary party will meet and approve it,' she said. "The party statute is amended based on the need. Since the statute does not pose a problem in selecting the leader of the party's parliamentary party, it will be amended in the future." General Secretary Burlakoti also said that the party statute will be made practical through a future central committee meeting. "While amending the statute in the coming days, this provision should also be made practical. Political consensus will prevail this time," he said. 

RSP leader Bhupdev Shah said that the central committee meeting will advance a senior leader of the party as the Prime Minister in accordance with the party's laws. ‘The party will take a legal decision in the central committee on the agenda of advancing the leader of the parliamentary party and the senior leader as the Prime Minister. The meeting has been called so that it will also develop good culture in the party,’ said the party’s proposed joint general secretary Shah. ‘When the senior leader as the Prime Minister takes oath on Chaitra 13, a decision will be made to remove obstacles from the party’s side so that there are no obstacles. The decision to send a senior leader to the post of Prime Minister will be made by the central committee itself.’ Since the provisions of the statute are not likely to be used this time too, discussions were underway within the party on whether to amend it or not.

The RSVP had not been able to implement the provision for electing the parliamentary party leader in the statute even after the 2079 elections. At that time, the lawmakers unanimously elected party president Lamichhane as the parliamentary party leader. Since the provision of the statute is not likely to be used this time too, discussions were underway within the party on whether to amend it.

The provision for electing the parliamentary party leader in the RSVP statute is in conflict with the provisions of the Political Parties Act, 2073. Section 25 of the act contains a provision for electing the parliamentary party leader. The act provides that ‘the members of the parliamentary party of the federal parliament or the provincial assembly shall elect one of their number as the leader of the parliamentary party, as per the instructions of the party concerned.’ The existing law of Nepal requires only the parliamentarians to elect the leader of the parliamentary party. The statute of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) stipulates that the general members of the party must vote and elect the leader of the parliamentary party before the election. 

Shah’s oath-taking ceremony as Prime Minister has been set 

Senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Shah is set to take the oath of office and secrecy as Prime Minister on Friday. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is making informal preparations in collaboration with the President’s Office for the oath-taking ceremony. The President’s Office is set to issue a notice on Thursday itself for the formal information about the oath-taking ceremony. According to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) General Secretary Burlakoti, Shah is set to take the oath of office and secrecy as Prime Minister on Friday at 12:34 PM.  

President Ram Chandra Poudel will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Shah as Prime Minister. The swearing-in ceremony will feature 7 conch shells, 108 batuks reciting the Swastiwachan and 16 Buddhist monks reciting the Ashtamangala. President Ram Chandra Poudel will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Shah as Prime Minister. The swearing-in ceremony will feature 7 conch shells, 108 batuks reciting the Swastiwachan and 16 Buddhist monks reciting the Ashtamangala.

Presidential Office Spokesperson Ritesh Kumar Shakya confirmed that preparations for the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Shah have begun. "Informal preparations are underway to administer the oath on Friday. It has been said that arrangements should be made for the Swastiwachan during the swearing-in ceremony. Accordingly, we are preparing to involve the batuk. Discussions have also been held on preparations to bring a Buddhist monk," Shakya said.