Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli was expelled from the primary membership of the Nepal Communist Party by a splinter faction led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” on Sunday for alleged anti-party activities, further intensifying the infighting within the ruling NCP.

The decision was taken at a standing committee meeting of the faction led by former Prime Ministers Prachanda and Madhav Kumar Nepal at Parisdanda in Koteshwor after Oli failed to explain his recent actions, including the dissolution of Parliament, said Ganesh Shah, a senior standing committee member of the party.

In December, the splinter group had removed 68-year-old Oli, one of the two chairmen of the ruling party, as the co-chair. The Prachanda-led faction had on January 15 sought clarification from Oli alleging that he was carrying out activities that go against the party’s policies.