The United People's Front of Nepal (), abbreviated SJM, was the front of the

Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Centre) The Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Centre) was a communist party in Nepal. CPN (UC) was formed on 19–20 November 1990 through the merger of Communist Party of Nepal (Mashal), Communist Party of Nepal (Fourth Convention), Proletarian Workers ...

, or CPN (UC).

History

Formation

SJM was founded in 1991, with

Baburam Bhattarai Baburam Bhattarai (, ; born 18 June 1954), also known by his nom de guerre Laaldhwoj, is a Nepalese politician, architect and former Prime Minister of Nepal, Prime Minister who presently serves as leader of the Nepal Socialist Party. Bhattarai ...

as its chairman. Except for the CPN (UC), the Nepal Workers Peasants Organisation and the Nepal Marxist–Leninist Party, later known as CPN (MLM), took part in the formation. Both factions did however leave the Front rather soon, the NWPO left just before the 1991. After the SJM was restructured on August 17, 1991, the CPN (MLM) left it. The CPN (MLM) cited that the Front has become a mere "

rubber stamp A rubber stamp is an image or pattern that has been carved, molded, laser engraved, or vulcanized onto a sheet of rubber. Rubber stamping, also called stamping, is a craft in which some type of ink made of dye or pigment is applied to a rub ...

" of CPN (UC).

1991 general election

In the general election held in 1991, SJM won nine seats and became the third largest force in the parliament.

1992 general strike and municipal election

In 1992, in a situation of economic crisis and chaos, with spiralling prices as a result of implementation of changes in policy of the new

Nepali Congress The Nepali Congress ( ; Abbreviation, abbr. NC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a Social democracy, social democratic List of political parties in Nepal, political party in Nepal and the largest party in the country ...

government, SJM and CPN (UC) stepped up their political agitation. A Joint People's Agitation Committee was set up together with the Communist Party of Nepal (Masal), the

Nepal Communist League The Nepal Communist League () was a communist organisation in Nepal. NCL was led by Shambhuram Shrestha. Shrestha, who had been a central secretariat member of the original Communist Party of Nepal, broke away from Man Mohan Adhikari's faction in ...

and the

Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist–Leninist–Maoist) The Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist–Leninist–Maoist), abbreviated CPN (MLM), was a minor communist party in Nepal. The party was as founded in 1981 by Krishna Das Shrestha. Initially known as the Nepal Marxist-Leninist Party, Shrestha had b ...

. A

general strike A general strike is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coalitions ...

was called for April 6. Violent incidents began to occur on the evening ahead of the strike. The Joint People's Agitation Committee had called for a 30-minute lights out in the capital, and violent erupted outside Bir Hospital when activists tried to enforce the 'lights out'. At dawn on April 6, clashes between strike activists and police outside a police station in Pulchok ( Patan) left two activists dead. Later in the day, a mass rally of the Agitation Committee at Tundikhel in the capital

Kathmandu Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...

was attacked by police forces. As a result, riots broke out, and the Nepal Telecommunications building was set on fire. Police opened fire at the crowd, killing several persons. The Human Rights Organisation of Nepal estimated that 14 people, including several on-lookers, had been killed in police firing. Ahead of the elections to local bodies the year SJM formed a front together with the

Nepal Workers Peasants Party The Nepal Workers Peasants Party (NWPP), also known as the Nepal Workers' and Peasants' Party and the Nepal Majdoor Kisan Party (; abbr. , ), is a Communism in Nepal, communist List of political parties in Nepal, political party in Nepal. The pa ...

, Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist–Leninist–Maoist), Communist Party of Nepal (15 September 1949) and

. SJM obtained one deputy mayor, 8 (1.34%) municipal committee seats and around 5% of the seats in the Village Development Committees.Hoftun, Martin, William Raeper and John Whelpton. People, politics and ideology: Democracy and Social Change in Nepal. Kathmandu: Mandala Book Point, 1999. p. 190-191

Split ahead of the 1994 general election

When CPN (UC) split in 1994, so did SJM on May 22. The hardline faction (which would later rename itself as Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) in 1996) under the leadership of Prachandra and Dr. Baburam Bhattarai launched a parallel SJM. The mainstream group, led by Niranjan Govinda Vidya and Nirmal Lama was the one accorded the recognition by the Election Commission to the name SJM. On July 14 the Vidya/Lama-led SJM held its convention and decided to participate in upcoming elections.

Evolution of the Lama-led SJM

At the last

legislative A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers ...

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

before the

King of Nepal The King of Nepal (traditionally known as the Mahārājdhirāja i.e. Great King of Kings; ) was Nepal's head of state and monarch from 1768 to 2008. He served as the head of the Nepalese monarchy—Shah Dynasty. The monarchy was abolished on 2 ...

took power, 3 and 16 May 1999, the SJM won 0.86% of the popular vote and 1 out of 205 seats. In total, it had 40 candidates. When CPN (UC) merged with Communist Party of Nepal (Masal) in 2002, SJM merged with Rashtriya Jana Morcha, the front of CPN (Masal), and formed the People's Front, Nepal.

Electoral performance

References

{{reflist Defunct communist parties in Nepal Defunct political party alliances in Nepal Popular fronts