The meeting of office-bearers of Nepali Congress (NC) has started at the residence of party President Sher Bahadur Deuba in Budhanilkantha Wednesday evening.
The meeting is discussing about agenda for the central committee meeting called for Thursday and picking candidates for National Assembly election and strategy for the election, according to NC Spokesperson Bishwo Prakash Sharma.
Deuba had also invited senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel to attend the Wednesday meeting along with the office-bearers but Paudel did not turn up for the the meeting. "He is at home. He did not go to the meeting," a source at Paudel's secretariat told Setopati.
The factions of Paudel and Krishna Sitaula are angry after Deuba unilaterally gave himself a one-year term extension and announced date for the next general convention.
Deuba, whose four-year term expires in March 2020, got his term extended through the central committee meeting on Friday using the extension provision of the party statute. His term will now expire on March 3, 2021. The meeting also decided to hold the next general convention from February 19-22, 2021.
The meeting extended the term of Nepal Tarun Dal led by Jeet Jung Basnet by six months. It also increased the number of departments to 47 from 28 but the departments have yet to be given full shape.
It, however, did not decide about the Nepal Students Union despite Deuba proposing to appoint leaders of the student wing during the central committee meeting on December 12.
Senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel, General Secretary Shashank Koirala, Treasurer Sita Devi Yadav and leaders from Paudel faction were not present during the meeting on Friday.
Central members of the Paudel faction were holding a separate meeting at the residence of former general secretary Prakash Man Singh in Chaksibari when Deuba was taking decisions through the central committee meeting at the party office in Sanepa on Friday.
The factions of Paudel and Krishna Sitaula have boycotted all meetings after Deuba presented proposals including increasing the number of party departments to 51 from 28, and completing Nepal Tarun Dal, Nepal Students Union among others to the central committee meeting for discussion on December 12.
