The third general assembly of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) is scheduled for the third week of December in Pokhara. As three RPP leaders, Pashupati Shamsher Rana, Prakash Chandra Lohani and Rabindranath Sharma, vie for the post of party president, a division in the party is obvious. Soon after Rabindranath Sharma and Prakash Chandra Lohani announced their candidature for party president, party general secretary Rana also announced his decision to stand for the same post. Rana made it clear that he would increase the influence of the RPP and ensure a major status in future general elections. The RPP central committee meeting held last week criticised Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand for not being able to fulfill his responsibilities as prime minister despite promises. During another meeting, held earlier, the party had committed to supporting Chand. The majority of members at the central committee meeting made it clear that the failure of the government would reflect badly on the RPP and preventive measures should be taken soon. Sources say Prime Minister Chand, who was also present at the meeting, remained quiet.