The Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal (RPP-N) formally split on Monday over dissatisfaction on the recommendation of candidates for the Proportional Representation (PR) seats in the Constituent Assembly.

A group of disgruntled leaders of the party led by Tanka Dhakal have registered a separate party, called ‘Nepali Rastriya Prajatantra Party’, at the Election Commission (EC).

According to the leaders, 20 of the 45 central committee members of RPP Nepal have submitted an application to register the new party.

RPP-N, which has become the fourth largest party with 24 seats under PR category in the 19 November CA election, was one of the few parties that submitted its PR list within the first deadline of the EC. However, internal dissatisfaction quickly surfaced over the PR submission.

The dissenting leaders are Ganesh Sherchan, Ramesh Shrestha, Ghanendra Subba, Rup Singh Thapa, Ram Chandra Chaturbedi, Pralad Shah, Dasharath Joshi, Brish Bahadur Mahat, Tirtha Prasad Shrestha, Ram Krishna Acharya, Govinda Khaniya, Rajaram Shrestha, Indra Chitrakar, Gita Basnet, Shastra Datta Pant, Harinarayan Yadav, Badri Bahadur KC and Ghan Bahadur Thapa.

The EC had directed the political parties to submit the final list of PR candidates only after a formal endorsement from their central committee . Claiming that RPP Nepal had not followed the directive, the leaders have already registered complaint at EC and a writ at Supreme Court.