Following a majority voice in the party to join the election process despite the failure of amendment proposal, the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal is set to make a formal announcement on Thursday to join the local level elections in Province 2 scheduled for September 18.

The RJP-N had boycotted both the first and second rounds of local level polls held in six provinces.

The two-day meeting of the party’s 133-strong office bearers has entrusted a six-member presidium under Mahantha Thakur to take necessary decisions on joining polls and other poll related matters.

Party leaders have clarified that most of the office bearers were in favour of joining the poll process, while pressing the government for addressing their remaining demands. 

The meeting has already decided to “target the forces that voted against the amendment proposal” the party’s agenda for the polls. The party has termed them as “undemocratic and discriminatory forces” and were against the national unity.

According to party leader Ram Naresh Yadav, most of the leaders have advocated for taking both the polls and struggle for the remaining demands simultaneously.

The presidium would finalise the criteria for selecting poll candidates, party’s election symbol among cycle, palm, rail, pair of oxen, farmer and arrow, among other things in the lead up to the September 18 polls. 

The Election Commission had urged the RJP-N to choose one of their six symbols, while clarifying it could not issue the party with ‘umbrella’ as election symbol due to technical and legal issues.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba had urged the EC to arrange a single election symbol to the party to avoid confusion among the voters.

Following Supreme Court’s decision on August 11 to vacate its May 26 interim order against the Cabinet’s May 22 decision to add 22 local units in 12 Tarai districts, the RJP-N leaders had urged the coalition leaders to put the amendment proposal to vote.

The RJP-N decided to change its stance after the apex court ruling.