Former prime ministers Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Nepal, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s rivals, on Tuesday submitted a letter to Nepal’s Election Commission (EC), claiming their faction as authentic Nepal Communist Party (NCP).

A report in The Himalayan Times said the Dahal-Nepal faction asked the Election Commission’s permission to use the party symbol and name. Earlier, both factions have filled their respective claims in the EC, which were subsequently rejected by the commission. The EC argued none of the faction submitted their request as per section 44 of the Political Party Act.

In the fresh petition today, the Dahal-Nepal faction claimed it was in line with section 44 of the Political Party Act.

Last year in December, the ruling NCP saw a split when Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli dissolved the lower house of parliament after a months-long feud with his party co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda.

Two days after the dissolution, both the factions, each led by Oli and Dahal, were separately holding the meetings of the party standing committees. Oli’s political opponent accused him of subverting the democracy and the years-long struggle for it.