English Translation:
As the House of Representatives election scheduled for Falgun 21 (early March) approaches, disputes over ticket distribution have made it difficult for the Nepali Congress to finalize the date for its General Convention, party leaders say.
Following the JENJI movement on Bhadra 23–24, the election is now set to be held 20 months earlier than initially planned — a move that has had a direct impact within the party.
The Congress is divided into two factions — one in favor of holding the General Convention before the election, and the other preferring to do so afterward.
Although party president Sher Bahadur Deuba is not planning to run for the 15th General Convention, he reportedly wants to retain influence in the ticket distribution process.
Meanwhile, General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwo Prakash Sharma, along with leader Shekhar Koirala, insist that the convention should be completed before the election.
Thapa has proposed holding the regular convention from Poush 16–19, while Deputy General Secretary Mahendra Yadav has suggested scheduling it from Baisakh 25–29.
The Thapa faction claims that 54 percent of convention representatives have already signed a petition demanding a special convention, but the establishment faction has rejected the demand.
Shekhar Koirala has also stated that the party should go into the election with fresh leadership and vision.
In contrast, Mahendra Yadav argues that the convention should not be held before the election and that winning candidates should be prioritized in ticket distribution.
According to political analyst Shankar Tiwari, the dispute within the Congress goes deeper than ticket allocation.
In his words: “The main role of a party president is not just ticket distribution, but also providing new policies and leadership.”
Tiwari adds that holding the convention before the election could bring in new leadership and policies — something that the establishment faction fears might obstruct some of their plans.
Sources close to the Thapa faction have warned that if the Poush convention proposal is not passed, the party will automatically move toward a special convention.
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