The main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) will hold central committee meeting Tuesday afternoon to change schedule leading up to the general convention.
The office-bearers' meeting on Sunday had decided to hold the 14th general convention from February 19-22, 2021 in Kathmandu as announced on December 27, 2019 but the schedule for election at the party's lower levels will have to be changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The central committee meeting will also discuss about the provisions of the citizenship bill passed by the State Affairs Committee of the parliament on the basis of majority, the bill on amendment of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) Act, and the government's failure in prevention and control of the pandemic, according to NC Chief Secretary Krishna Prasad Paudel.
The party has yet to complete integration at the eight levels as required by the federal structure, that had to be completed by mid-April, in 30 districts while active membership forms the foundation of its electoral system for selection of general convention representatives.
NC must hold the general convention in February 2021 as President Sher Bahadur Deuba has already extended his four-year term by a year as allowed by the party statute and the extension ends in February.
General Secretary Purna Bahadur Khadka, on instruction of Deuba, had presented the tentative schedule for general convention during the office-bearers' meeting on Sunday. The elections at the lower levels will start in December if the schedule is endorsed by the central committee. The election was to start in October as per the schedule announced on December 27, 2019.
Distribution and renewal of active membership were to be completed by mid-April but NC has stopped all party activities since March 4 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The party had around 380,000 active members in the last general convention. The lower levels of the party will have to send the list of active members to the center where any dispute about active membership is settled. Election at the lower levels can only be started once the list of active members is finalized.
