Ten Maoist parties on Thursday joined hands to form a new force under the former rebel commander Pushpa Kamal Dahal to give birth to what they have decided to call “CPN Maoist Centre”.

Thursday’s development was spurred by a drastic move by the CPN-Maoist leader Ram Bahadur Thapa who last week not only formally decided to merge with the UCPN (Maoist) but also ousted Mohan Baidya as the chairman to assume control. 

“This marks the end of bad days for the Maoists,” Dahal told leaders and cadres who had gathered to attend the unification announcement programme. “The days of people’s victory have begun.” 

Dahal said that the unification of 10 Maoist parties was part of an effort to regain the lost glory. 

“The unification of 10 Maoist parties was essential to regain the trust of the common people,” said Dahal. 

He also urged Mohan Baidya and Baburam Bhattarai to join the new party. 

The new party includes UCPN (Maoist) led by Dahal, CPN-Maoist led by Thapa, CPN Maoist led by Matrika Yadav and Revolutionary Communist Party led by Mani Thapa and some leaders from Netra Bikram Chand-led CPN Maoist and Baburam Bhattrai-led Naya Shakti. 

Jayapuri Gharti Magar, a former People Liberation Army fighter who was not in any party, has also joined the new party. 

Despite the unification, there would be still four more offshoots of the former rebel forces in the mainstream politics led separately by Baidya, Bhattarai, Chand and Hemanta Prakash Oli. 

Issuing a joint statement shortly after the announcement of the new party, Baidya, Chand and Oli have said that the unification is against the sovereignty, people’s supremacy and revolution for emancipation of the country and people. “It is a coalition of right-wing neo-revisionists. We all should wage ideological struggle against this,” reads the statement.  

Former prime minister Bhattarai, who severed his ties with the UCPN (Maoist) after the promulgation of the constitution, did not make any comment on the new development on Thursday. Last week, he had mocked at the unification deal saying that “some Maoist comrades were selling the dream of reaching the space collecting few sets of old bicycles”. 

In the new Maoist party, Thapa, who spurred the unification process, would become the general secretary. 

With UCPN (Maoist) Vice-chairman Narayankaji Shrestha certain to retain his current position in the new party, there are uncertainties over who would take other key positions.