RSP Tehrathum committee quits over candidate row

KATHMANDU: Tehrathum has witnessed a major political upheaval within the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) after the party’s entire district leadership announced a collective resignation, accusing the central leadership of imposing a parliamentary candidate against local recommendations and public sentiment.

Led by district chairperson Suman Khatri, officials and members from the district committee, as well as ward and municipal committees of Myanglung Municipality, Aathrai Rural Municipality, Laligurans, Chhathar, and Phedap Rural Municipalities, declared their exit from the party.

The crisis erupted after the RSP central committee on Monday decided to field Rituraj Limbu as the party’s candidate from Tehrathum.

However, the district committee had been preparing to unanimously recommend Surendra Karki, coordinator of Aware Tehrathum, citing strong local backing.

District leaders claimed Karki enjoyed broad support from local youth groups, including the “Gen Z” movement, as well as other emerging political forces.

In a joint resignation statement, the disgruntled leaders accused the party center of making a unilateral decision that undermined internal democracy. They said the decision violated party statutes and ignored established procedures for candidate selection.

“The political consensus built on the foundation of the September 8-9 ‘Gen Z Movement’ to field a young and capable candidate, Surendra Karki, under the bell symbol has been shattered,” the statement read. “By bypassing party rules and imposing another candidate, the center has dealt a serious blow to the district’s political agreement.”

The resigning leaders concluded that the candidate selection process disregarded the sentiments of both district and provincial committees.

Taking what they described as moral responsibility for failing to honor commitments made in coordination with the center and province, all district, municipal, and ward-level committees announced their collective resignation.

The mass exit marks one of the most serious internal challenges faced by the RSP ahead of the upcoming election, raising questions about party unity and grassroots confidence in central decision-making.