As an internal tussle continues within the Nepali Congress over holding the regular 15th General Convention or a Special General Convention, a group of convention delegates has issued an ultimatum to the party leadership. Accusing the establishment faction of failing to move forward with the regular convention process within the stipulated time, the dissatisfied group has demanded that a Special General Convention be held on Poush 27 and 28.
In a press release issued under the name “Special General Convention Demanding Convention Delegates” following a press conference held in Anamnagar on Friday, the group claimed that there is no alternative to a Special General Convention as per Article 17(2) of the party statute. The statement comes amid discussions that party General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwo Prakash Sharma were preparing for a Special Convention by postponing the regular convention.
The release strongly accused the party leadership of halting ward-level conventions scheduled for Poush 16 and leaving the entire schedule of the 15th General Convention in limbo due to unclear policies, manipulation, and a deceptive intent to prolong power. Recalling that a formal demand for a Special General Convention had already been registered on Ashoj 29 with signatures of 2,488 convention delegates (more than 54 percent nationwide), the statement said, “If the 15th General Convention is not held within the stipulated time, a Special General Convention must automatically take place. Now, the Nepali Congress has no option left other than a Special General Convention.”
Citing the statutory provision that mandates a Special General Convention to be held within three months of the demand being registered—by Poush 28, 2082—the delegates proposed Poush 27 and 28 as the dates. Warning the party leadership, they stated, “No one can be above the party statute. If the mandatory provisions of the statute are ignored, how can there be any moral ground to approach citizens while advocating for the constitution and the rule of law?”
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