The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), which emerged through a long insurgency and later entered peaceful politics via the peace accord, has said that discussions on party unification are ongoing with several former Maoist factions.

However, the party has clarified that there are no discussions or plans for unification with the party led by former Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, who also has a Maoist background. Party spokesperson Agni Sapkota, speaking to Nepali journalists after a Standing Committee meeting, said that efforts to unify with the parties currently under the Socialist Front are moving forward positively.

According to Sapkota, dialogues with the Netra Bikram Chand ‘Biplav’-led faction and the CPN (Unified Socialist), led by Madhav Kumar Nepal, are also progressing in a positive direction.

“Dr. Bhattarai has publicly stated that he no longer identifies as a communist, so there are no discussions regarding unification with him,” Sapkota said.