KATHMANDU, Nov 19: As the Nepali Congress (NC) becomes increasingly divided over whether to hold its 15th General Convention before or after the March 5 election, leader Dr Shekhar Koirala has stepped up efforts to find a consensus. With leaders refusing to budge from their positions and the Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting—ongoing since October 14—remaining stuck, Koirala has accelerated consultations with the central committee (CC) members, former office bearers, current office bearers, and leaders of sister organizations.
In the past days, Koirala has met more than a hundred CC members individually and in groups. On Tuesday, he held discussions with central members supporting a regular general convention, General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa, Deputy General Secretaries Badri Pandey and Jeevan Pariyar, as well as Devraj Chalise and Guru Raj Ghimire. Chalise and Ghimire are the ones who have been leading the signature campaign for a special general convention. He also met leaders from various levels of sister organizations.
During the meetings, Koirala emphasized that the party’s broader interests and unity must come first. He has repeatedly warned that pushing for a special general convention could fuel division and fragmentation within the party, urging leaders and cadres to support holding a regular general convention instead, according to a close aide.
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Koirala’s aide Dinesh Thapaliya said discussions have intensified with leaders across all tiers to end the deadlock and find a viable way forward. “He (Shekhar Koirala) has taken the initiative to untie the knot inside the party. Leaders have also suggested different measures and alternatives,” Thapaliya said, noting that both domestic and international observers are closely watching the NC.
Koirala had also invited Vice President Dhanaraj Gurung and General Secretary Bishwa Prakash Sharma for the discussion along with General Secretary Thapa, but they could not attend as they were outside the district.
Koirala maintains that the general convention should be held by mid-January instead of mid-December. A CC member said Koirala insists that CWC decisions should be based on consensus rather than majority votes.
General Secretaries Thapa and Sharma, however, have said that if the party cannot hold a regular general convention by mid-December, it must proceed with a special general convention. They argue that since 54 per cent of general convention representatives have already demanded a special general convention—as permitted by the NC statute—the party cannot disregard it.
Koirala has been urging Acting President Purna Bahadur Khadka to make preparations to hold the regular general convention by mid-January and to move ahead accordingly. His close aides say he has proposed incorporating the concerns of representatives demanding a special general convention while still ensuring a regular one is held by mid-January. He believes that a regular general convention is essential to enable leadership changes from top to bottom—and from bottom to top.
