JSP Chair Yadav announces political, legal fight against Election Commission's decision

KATHMANDU, June 15: Chairman of Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP), Upendra Yadav has said that the Election Commission (EC) failed to carry out impartial and neutral role while deciding on the internal matters of the party. 

Issuing a public statement on Tuesday, Chairman Yadav said that the recent decision of the election body was prejudiced. In the statement, Yadav said that the decision of the EC has drawn their serious attention. 

It is to be noted that the faction of the JSP close to Yadav, on June 1,  expelled four leaders of the opposition faction of the party. A meeting of the party’s Executive Committee sacked four leaders including the party Chairman Mahatha Thakur, senior leader Rajendra Mahato, Laxamn Lal Karna and Sarbendra Nath Shukla on Tuesday. The faction, chaired by Upendra Yadav,  sent a letter to the Election Commission to inform the poll body about the decision and ask the latter to update the records accordingly. 

In retaliation, the rival faction led by another Chairman Mahantha Thakur also sacked Upendra Yadav as the chairman of the party and wrote to the poll body. 

Responding to the letters sent by the rival faction, the EC, however, passed a verdict that the actions taken against one another were against the law. It also dismissed the petitions registered by both the factions and ordered that the committee would remain intact. 

Chairman Yadav, however, said that the EC’s decision was against democratic norms and values, principle and system that a political party functions based on the decisions taken by the majority. 

He also accused the poll body of abstaining from its legal and constitutional responsibility. Blaming the commission for misinterpreting the Political Party Act-2017, Political Party Regulations-2017 and Interim Party Statue of JSP-2021  to grant legitimacy indirectly to those who ‘violated party statute and code of conduct’, Chairman Yadav announced to forge both the political and legal fights against the decision of the poll body.