CHITWAN, June 21: The first general convention of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is beginning in Chitwan on Saturday, with the party set to adopt a revised structure allowing the party chairman to nominate 51 members to its Central Committee (CC).
The convention, which will continue until June 23, is scheduled to be inaugurated jointly by party Chairman Rabi Lamichhane and senior leader and Prime Minister Balen Shah by ringing the party’s symbolic bell.
Prime Minister Shah is expected to arrive in Chitwan around noon to attend the inauguration ceremony scheduled for 2 pm, according to Chitwan district party president Engineer Mini Madhav Khanal. RSP spokesperson Manish Jha said most preparations have been completed to make the convention organized and representative. The venue at the Guest House Ground in Bharatpur has been decorated with photographs of Lamichhane and Shah.
According to Jha, the process of selecting representatives from district committees, provincial committees and overseas contact committees has been completed. Most delegates had already arrived in Chitwan a day before the opening. A total of 3,918 representatives will participate in the convention, while the party’s two general secretaries have been entrusted with nominating an additional 300 representatives.
158-member central committee proposed
RSP has proposed amendments to its party statute, including changes to its organizational structure. The secretariat has proposed forming a 151-member central committee and introducing provisions to ensure women’s representation among office bearers, including the position of senior leader.
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The proposed structure includes one president, one senior leader, three vice-presidents, including one woman, two general secretaries, five joint general secretaries, including one woman, one spokesperson, three deputy spokespersons including one woman, one treasurer and two deputy treasurers, including one woman.
The current RSP statute does not require mandatory female representation in office-bearer positions. After the amendment, one woman will be mandatory among the vice-presidents, joint general secretaries, deputy spokespersons and deputy treasurers.
The party has also decided to make provincial presidents ex officio members, bringing the total number of central committee members to 158. RSP currently has a 121-member central committee.
Party president to appoint 51 members
Under the proposed statute, the party president will nominate 51 of the 158 central committee members. Discussions are ongoing on allowing the president to select one vice-president, one general secretary, two joint general secretaries, the treasurer and the spokesperson with a view to broader political inclusion.
The remaining 99 central committee members will be elected through open competition. The members nominated by the party president will be selected based on inclusiveness, and the statute requires each province to have five central committee members, including at least one woman.
Electronic voting and security arrangements
The party’s election commission has finalized the election schedule. The final list of convention representatives will be published by 11 pm on June 21. Candidate nomination forms will be distributed from 1 pm on June 22, while the filing of candidacies is scheduled for the same day.
The election will be conducted through an electronic voting system. As per the party statute, central committee members will elect 19 office bearers.
Spokesperson Jha said the convention will hold extensive discussions on amendments to the party statute, policy proposals and contemporary political issues. He expressed confidence that the convention would define the party’s future direction while strengthening its organization and public outreach.
Security has been tightened in Bharatpur due to the participation of the Prime Minister, ministers, lawmakers and other high-ranking officials. Vehicle movement has been restricted from the convention venue to Hakim Chowk, Chaubiskothi and Malpot Chowk.
A coordinated security plan involving all three security agencies has been implemented, with more than 1,000 Nepal Police personnel deployed. Additional police personnel have also been brought in from other districts.
The closed-door session of the convention will be held at the Chitwan Chamber of Industries hall.
