Twenty-five central members from the Sher Bahadur Deuba faction of the Nepali Congress are set to submit a memorandum today, calling on party leadership to hold the general convention before the March 4 (Falgun 21) House of Representatives election.
The group will meet Acting President Purna Bahadur Khadka at 11:30 AM at the party’s central office in Sanepa to formally raise the issue. One of the central members confirmed that they intend to “draw the acting president’s attention to the need for completing the general convention ahead of the election.”
These leaders, elected from Deuba’s panel during the party’s 14th General Convention in December 2021, have repeatedly pushed for the convention to be held before the country heads to the polls.
During the Central Committee meeting held between October 14 and November 12, they argued that the Congress should enter the election only after concluding the convention. However, the meeting ended without a decision, with leaders saying further discussions were necessary.
Another Central Committee meeting is scheduled for tomorrow at 2 PM. Ahead of that meeting, the 25 leaders are submitting today’s memorandum to increase pressure on the leadership. They had also met earlier on November 9 in Soltimode to coordinate among themselves.
The debate inside the Nepali Congress remains sharp. One side believes the party must go to the election only after holding either a regular or special general convention, while the other side argues that the convention should take place after the polls.
Because of these disagreements, the Central Committee has not been able to reach a conclusion. The Central Performance Committee is also meeting today. Meanwhile, those advocating for a special general convention are organizing a youth gathering as part of their campaign.
At Thursday’s Central Committee meeting, General Secretary Gagan Thapa proposed holding a special general convention on December 12 and 13, saying the leadership has not agreed to move forward with a regular convention.
Back on October 15, 54 percent of the general convention delegates had already submitted signatures to Acting President Khadka demanding a special general convention.
