Six leaders have filed candidacy for president of Nepali Congress (NC) in the ongoing 14th general convention.
Current President Sher Bahadur Deuba, Shekhar Koirala, Prakash Man Singh, Bimalendra Nidhi, Kalyan Gurung and Yubaraj Neupane have filed candidacy for the top post on Saturday.
Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar and Purna Bahadur Khadka have filed candidacy for vice-president from the Deuba afction while Prakash Sharan Mahat and Pradeep Paudel will contest for general secretary. Paudel, from the faction of Krishna Sitaula, has been accommodated in the Deuba panel in return for Sitaula's support for Deuba in president.
Dina Upadhyaya (women), Bhishma Raj Angdembe (indigenous ethnicities), Mahendra Yadav (Madhesi), Kishor Singh Rathour (Khas/Arya), Uma Kanta Chaudhary (Tharu), Farmullah Mansur (Muslim), Jeevan Bahadur Shahi (backward) and Man Bahadur Bishwakarma (Dalit) are the candidates for joint general secretary from the Deuba faction.
Shekhar, meanwhile, is contesting with Dhan Raj Gurung and Chandra Bhandari as candidates for vice-president, and Gagan Thapa and Minendra Rijal for general secretary. Dev Raj Chalise (Khas/Arya), Kamala Panta (women), Jeevan Pariyar (Dalit), Ram Krishna Yadav (Madhesi), Sheikh Wakil (Muslim), Badri Pandey (backward), Bikash Lama (indigenous ethnicities), and Teju Lal Chaudhary (Tharu) are the candidates for joint general secretary from Shekhar's team.
Singh is contesting with Sujata Koirala, Shekhar's first cousin and daughter of former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala, for vice-president and Spokesperson Bishwa Prakash Sharma for general secretary.
Nidhi has also filed candidacy for president but the names of office-bearers from his team have yet to be revealed.
Deuba, Ram Chandra Paudel and Sitaula had contested for the top post in the last general convention. Deuba beat Paudel in the second round with support from Sitaula.
