The main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) will focus on the general convention instead of the agitation against House dissolution.
Senior Leader Ram Chandra Paudel wanted to lead a strong movement against the dissolution for reinstatement of the House of Representatives (HoR) but President Sher Bahadur Deuba did not agree.
NC has staged three phases of demonstration after Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli dissolved the House on December 20 calling it unconstitutional and undemocratic. It has only left space for its sister organizations to protest in a way that does not affect the general convention now.
The central committee meeting on Thursday has decided to hold the 14th general convention from August 23-26 in Kathmandu but did not announce any protest program.
The party on insistence of Deuba has now left the issue of House dissolution to the Supreme Court and focused on the general convention.
The central committee meeting has also decided to amend the party statute to extend the term of executive committee led by Deuba by six months. NC will amend Article 43 of the statute to extend term of the office-bearers at all levels of the party taking help from the Constitution which has a provision of a six-month extension for parties in special circumstances.
"Provided that in case election of the office bearers could not be held within five years due to situation arising out of special circumstance, there shall be no hindrance to make provision in the statute of a political party to hold such election within a period of six months," states the provision in Article 269(4b) of the Constitution related to political parties.
The party is going to extend the term of Deuba-led executive committee by applying that constitutional provision on the party statute. NC said the provision to be mentioned in the party's statute will be endorsed by the next general convention.
Deuba, whose four-year term expired in March 2020, had given himself a one-year term extension which meant his term would expire on March 3, 2021. The party had also decided to hold the next general convention from February 19-22, 2021. But it could not be held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The party has yet to finish integration in the districts and Arghakhanchi is the only district to have completed the process of renewing and distributing new active membership.
It will hold election at ward level on June 19, rural municipality and municipality level on June 21, provincial constituency level on July 16, federal constituency level and district level in the districts with just one federal constituency on July 18, and district level in those with more than one federal constituency on July 21.
The provincial election will be held on July 25 and 26 and the general convention from August 23-26 in Kathmandu.
