District presidents of Nepali Congress (NC) have demanded that the party's general convention be held in September.
Pointing that the term of NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba expires after September 8 the meeting of district presidents from the faction of Senior Leader Ram Chandra Paudel in Kathmandu on Monday and Tuesday has urged the leadership to avert the crisis by holding the general convention before that.
A total of 38 district presidents were physically present in the meeting while 13 participated in the meeting virtually.
"The party should not be allowed to plunge into constitutional crisis at any cost. Let's hold the general convention on time," ," NC President in Nuwakot Jagdishwore Narsingh KC said. "If there are any dispute including that about active membership let's solve them. Let's not be late."
The 14th general convention is scheduled to be held from September 1-4 but looks uncertain due to the dispute about active membership in districts including Bara and Saptari.
The district presidents pointed that there is the option of holding election at the ward level in the disputed areas with active members of the 13th general convention if the disputes cannot be resolved.
NC President in Kavre Madhu Acharya stated that the general convention cannot be postponed citing the disputes including that about active membership.
Senior Leader Paudel, General Secretary Shashank Koirala, Treasurer Sita Devi yadav. former general secretary Prakash Man Singh, former joint general secretaries Ram Sharan Mahat and Arjun Narsingh KC, and central members including Minendra Rijal, Shekhar Koirala, Sujata Koirala and Gangan Thapa also attended the closing session of the meeting of district presidents.
They stressed that the party leadership should move forward to hold the general convention on time even by shortening the processes. The meeting of central members of the Paudel faction held before that also stressed on holding the general convention on time.
Paudel has been slamming Deuba for taking the party to the helpless state of begging with the Election Commission by not holding the 14th general convention.
The party's 14th general looks uncertain due to the dispute about active membership in districts including Bara and Saptari. The party has scheduled to hold the general convention from September 1-4 but cannot delay it further. The party's legal status would end if the general convention were not held on time.
NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba, whose four-year term expired in March 2020, had given himself a one-year term extension which meant his term expired 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.
NC delayed the general convention further 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 will violate the Constitution if the general convention were to be delayed beyond September.
