Journalist Rabindra Mishra has resigned as the head of the BBC Nepali Service to enter politics. He is set to announce the ‘Sajha Party’, whose interim charter has been finalised, people involved in the campaign said.

The ideology of the “alternative” party would be guided by welfare economy and inspired by global norms of democracy. Values of the new force would be transparency, integrity and capability, according to the party policy.

Rumours about Mishra joining politics had been doing rounds on social media for some time. Mishra cleared the air by finally issuing a statement saying that he would come up with the organisational structure and further details about the new party soon.

People from various walks of life have shown interest in the party in the making. Insiders said Mumaram Kahnal, Kishor Thapa, Dr Saroj Dhital, Om Prakash Aryal, Surya Raj Acharya, Bhawana Ghimire, Rabindra Puri, Sagar Prasai, Abdus Miya, Maya Gurung, Nirupama Yadav, Ramesh Maharjan, Ajaya Bhadra Khanal and Ramesh Maharjan are set to join as core team members.

In his statement, Mishra said his goal is to create a common platform to bring together “honest and capable” Nepalis from all walks of life for the sake of clean politics to transform Nepal.

Underlining the need to lay the foundation for cultured politics in order to transform the country, Mishra noted that its bases would be system, transparency, integrity and meritocracy (STEM) within a constitutional and inclusive democracy.

Mishra expressed his confidence that Nepalis living at home and abroad—who are frustrated by decades of selfish, extractive, pretentious and non-transparent politics but believe that Nepal could still be rescued—are potential supporters of his group.

“It will be the rise of a leadership that takes the country firmly on the path of total transformation,” said the retired journalist. He also made an appeal to those who believe that the country cannot progress with the existing set of parties to come forward and utilise the new platform for “peaceful, graceful, patriotic and development-focused political uprising”.