The absence of two major leaders has further delayed Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP-N) selecting its parliamentary party office bearers.Co-ordinator of the six-member presidium Mahantha Thakur and one of its six leaders Mahendra Raya Yadav are currently receiving medical treatment in New Delhi.

Their absence delays passing the party’s statute, electing parliamentary party leader, deputy leader, chief whip and whip that was scheduled for the political committee meeting on April 21.

“We will finalise the statute and select office bearers of parliamentary party when Thakur and Yadav return home,” said Laxman Lal Karna, leader of the party. Thakur’s Personal Secretary Satyandra Mishra said he would inform the leader’s date of arrival on Tuesday.

On April 6, the fourth largest party in the Parliament had formed a one-member panel of Karna to draft the statute of its parliamentary party.

Due to the debate among the leaders, the Madhes-based RJP-N, formed after the unification of six fringe parties, has failed to elect its parliamentary office bearers.

The party celebrated its first anniversary on April 20 last week, but it has failed to hold its national convention so far. While announcing RJP-N merging six different fringe Madhes-based parties, the leaders had promised to hold its national convention within a year.

The leaders are discussing whether to have a single leader or to continue with the joint leadership of six-member presidium on a rotation basis.