The party is led by a Central Working Committee.[4] Thapa is the chairman of the party.[5]Prakash Chandra Lohani is the vice chairman of the party.[6]
Split from RPP
RJP emerged from a split in the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, as Thapa left the RPP, which he helped found in 1990,[7] on November 4, 2004. On November 19, 2004, Thapa and his followers opened a 'contact office' in Balutwar, Kathmandu, to organise a broad political conference and coordinate the construction of a new party.[8] On December 27, 2004 the group formed a 320-member organising committee for the holding of the conference of the new party. Thapa was chairman of the committee, Lohani vice chairman and Buddhiman Tamang secretary. Other prominent members of the committee were Kamal Thapa, Hari Bahadur Basnet, Sarvendra Nath Sukla and Renu Kumari Yadav.[9]
Kamal Thapa left the committee in January 2005.[10]
Foundation
The RJP was founded on March 13, 2005. The 'broad political conference' was, however, postponed due to the imposition of Emergency rule by King Gyanendra on February 1, 2005.[11][12]
2005-2006 coup and revolt
RJP had expressed differences with King Gyanendra after the February 1, 2005 coup, over issues like political appointments in the local administrations. RJP accused the King of eliminating the forces working for constitutional monarchy, through his political actions. At the time, RJP tried to profile itself as a centrist party, in between positions advocating direct monarchical rule and republic.[13][14]
On February 19, 2008, RJP had called for an election boycott, claiming that the situation in Madhes made elections impossible to hold.[23][24] After an agreement was reached between United Democratic Madhesi Front and the Government of Nepal on February 27, 2008, and the UDMF parties pledge to contest the CA polls, the RJP declared that it would participate as well.[25]
On March 6, 2008, Thapa declared that his party was not monarchist, but would accept the verdict of the voters.[26] RJP MPs had previously boycotted a vote in the interim parliament on making Nepal a republic.[27] Thapa had dubbed the vote 'an attack on the fundamental norms of democracy'.[28]
At the elections to the Constituent Assembly, the RJP received 79,925 votes (0.77%) in the constituency vote, winning no seats. With 102,147 votes (0.95%) in the party list vote the RJP won three seats to the Assembly.
