The rightist Rastriya Prajatantra Party is expected to take a call on its position on monarchy and federalism when the party holds its unity convention from Friday. The conclave is the first after the RPP-Nepal and the RPP merged on November 22 to form the RPP.

Prior to their merger, the RPP-Nepal had been carrying the agenda of Hindutva, constitutional monarchy and strong local bodies instead of federal units, while the RPP had already adopted secularism, republicanism and federalism.

During the merger, the RPP led by Pashupati Shumsher Rana agreed to backtrack on the party’s earlier position and adopt Hindutva as the philosophy of the united party while the Kamal Thapa-led RPP-Nepal had agreed to take the agendas of republicanism and federalism to the general convention to decide.

In his political paper presented to the party’s executive committee on Monday, Thapa, the current chair, has proposed adopting the agendas of ceremonial monarchy and carving out federal states comprising the Mountains, Hills and the Tarai.

“The country doesn’t need federalism but our party, which believes in the democratic process, adopted it as it was a mandate of the majority,” Rajendra Lingden, general secretary of the party, told the media on Tuesday. He said the RPP was for having federal units comprising all the three geographical regions of the country. Lingden said the jamboree would decide on the major political agendas of the party. If the convention adopts Thapa’s political paper, the party will once again opt for revival of the monarchy that was abolished nine years ago.

Chairman Thapa, National Chairman Prakash Chandra Lohani and former RPP chair Rana are most likely to announce their candidacies for leadership.

With 37 seats in the 595-strong Parliament, the RPP is the fourth largest party. The four-day jamboree will be held at the Bhrikutimandap-based exhibition hall. A new leadership and a Central Working Committee will be elected for the next four years.

Lingden said 3,470 convention representatives and 300 volunteers and observers will participate in the convention which will elect a 150-member CWC including the office bearers. The party has formed around a dozen committees, assigning them to handle guests, manage shelter for the representatives coming from the districts and respond to the media.