Kathmandu, April 22: The 76th anniversary of the Communist Party of Nepal is being observed across the country today with various programs and events.

The party was founded on Baisakh 9, 2006 BS (April 22, 1949), in Shyam Bazaar, Calcutta, India, under the leadership of Pushpa Lal Shrestha. Founding members included Nar Bahadur Karmacharya, Niranjan Govinda Vaidya, Narayan Bilash Joshi, and Moti Devi Shrestha. However, Moti Devi was absent during the official announcement of the party's establishment.

The formation of Nepal’s Communist Party came 102 years after the publication of the Communist Manifesto and 32 years after the October Revolution in Russia. It was established as an underground movement with the primary objective of challenging the autocratic Rana regime and liberating the Nepali people from oppression and exploitation.

Over the decades, several communist parties and factions have emerged in Nepal, including the CPN-UML, CPN (Maoist Centre), CPN (Unified Socialist), Rastriya Janamorcha, and CPN (ML). Although there have been frequent calls for the unification of these parties, tangible outcomes remain limited. A notable attempt was the unification of the UML and Maoist Centre in 2075 BS, forming the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN), which eventually collapsed.

Despite political divisions, communist parties are commemorating the founding day today. The CPN-UML is organizing a special event at the Nepal Academy at noon, where seven individuals who have made significant contributions to Nepal's communist movement will be honored. A book titled Shelter will also be launched during the program.

The CPN (Maoist Centre) and CPN (Unified Socialist) are also hosting separate events to mark the occasion.