KATHMANDU: Ranjita Shrestha, Chair of the Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP), has designated Senior Vice-Chair Shiva Bastola as the party’s acting chair.

The decision follows the alleged involvement of party chair Shrestha in a land-related bribery investigation.

She has stated that she assigned the role of acting chair to Bastola due to her health condition.

“In view of my health condition, which has made it difficult for me to be physically present in the party’s daily operations and key decision-making processes, this decision has been taken to ensure that party functioning remains uninterrupted,” she wrote in the letter appointing the acting chair.

Shrestha recently underwent a voice test at the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) after an audio recording surfaced in which a demand for a bribe was allegedly made.

As per the party’s statute, the chairperson has the authority to delegate leadership responsibilities, and the appointment of Bastola aligns with that provision.