Behind-the-scenes political maneuvering within the Nepali Congress has intensified in an effort to stop the party’s second special general convention scheduled for Poush 27 and 28. Senior Congress leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula has been actively working to derail the special convention. Sitaula has been holding meetings with NP Saud and Balkrishna Khand at a star hotel in the capital and has been in continuous dialogue with leaders close to party president Sher Bahadur Deuba.
While Sitaula has openly been campaigning to block the special general convention, around 30 central committee members from the Deuba camp itself have moved toward preparing a “rebellion” by openly supporting the convention ahead of the upcoming elections. They have issued a joint appeal, concluding that holding the general convention before the elections has become unavoidable.
Central committee members considered close to Deuba held a separate meeting today and stressed the need to resolve internal party disputes through dialogue and consensus and to move forward united in the elections. Their conclusion states that a general convention has become essential to restore public trust, credibility, and energy within the party before the elections.
Those central committee members standing in favor of the general convention include Rajendra KC, Bharat Kumar Shah, Arjun Prasad Joshi, Pushpa Bhusal, Karnabahadur Budha, Ganesh Lama, Angelu Sherpa, Dr Dila Sangraula, Udaya Shumsher Rana, Nanu Bastola, Dhana Khatriwada, Abdul Razzaq, Devendra Raj Kandel, Yogendra Chaudhary, Gopal Dahit, Bahadur Singh Lama, Dilman Pakhrin, Abdul Sattar, Mohan Acharya, Amrit Aryal, Jipchiring Lama, Ramjanam Chaudhary, Champadevi Khadka, Narayan Bahadur Karki, and Chin Kaji Shrestha, among others.
Earlier as well, these leaders had met party president Sher Bahadur Deuba, leader Dr Shekhar Koirala, and General Secretaries Gagan Kumar Thapa and Bishwo Prakash Sharma to draw attention to resolving the party’s internal crisis. They have consistently urged party unity through continued dialogue and consensus.
At a time when the special general convention is being held at the call of the general secretaries despite opposition from most establishment leaders, this appeal from central committee members of the Deuba camp is being viewed within the party as a meaningful and pressure-building signal.
In the same context, some central committee members from the Deuba side are preparing to hold further discussions today in New Baneshwor, while leaders maintaining the position that the general convention should be held only after the elections are also preparing to convene parallel meetings.
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