A signature campaign has been launched in the Nepali Congress to demand a special general convention.
On Monday, 109 general convention representatives started a signature campaign to call for a special general convention. However, party office-bearers and central members have not signed yet. The campaign appears set to gain momentum gradually.
The group led by leader Shekhar Koirala and General Secretary Gagan Thapa wants to expand the campaign to the districts and the House of Representatives constituencies.
In the 14th general convention held in 2021, NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba received 60 percent of the votes, and Shekhar Koirala received 40 percent, while Gagan Thapa received 64 percent of the votes in the election for general secretary. Based on this, the non-establishment faction can demand a special general convention by collecting the signatures of 40 percent of the general convention representatives.
When the two general secretaries, Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma, proposed a regular or special general convention at a recent central working committee meeting, most leaders from Deuba's faction opposed it.
According to the party’s statute, if 40 percent of the central members and 40 percent of the general convention representatives sign a demand for a special general convention, the party president must call a special convention within three months.
Over 80 percent of the members in the central committee belong to Deuba's faction.
Deuba does not appear inclined to resign from his post as party president immediately. He is currently receiving treatment at the Army Hospital for injuries sustained in an attack by protestors on September 9 at his residence in Budhanilkantha.
Deuba has phoned office-bearers and central members, asking for their “support during this difficult situation."
Therefore, some office-bearers close to Deuba have begun making statements targeting General Secretaries Thapa and Sharma, who are demanding a special general convention, and have started holding meetings to devise further strategies.
With the likelihood of the central committee deciding on a special general convention diminishing, general convention representatives launched the signature campaign to demand a special general convention.
According to NC leaders, those calling for a special general convention so far include those from the group led by Koirala and General Secretary Thapa, and even some from Deuba's faction.
Nima Giri, a general convention representative from Pyuthan and a member of the Lumbini Provincial Assembly who is in favor of a special general convention, said that President Deuba has an opportunity for a "graceful exit."
"Many people are saying that the president should have a graceful exit. The Gen Z movement of September 8 and 9 also showed that they could not work according to the people's mandate," she said. "We are trying to demand a special convention by collecting signatures of 40 percent of the general convention representatives. A special general convention must be called within three months of submitting the signatures, and that general convention will decide the party's policies and leadership."
According to her, the special general convention is not being demanded to bring a specific individual to leadership.
"Anyone can come to leadership through the special general convention. The party must be transformed according to the times as per the public's demands," she said.
She added that the party has failed to address the demands of Gen Z youths.
"The people raising the voices of Gen Z did not reach the party's decision-making levels; their voices had not even been addressed. The movement seems to have stemmed from this foundation. The party must move forward in line with the sentiments of Gen Z," she said.
Along with Gururaj Ghimire, Devraj Chalise, and Giri, 109 general convention representatives issued a press release on Monday demanding a special general convention.
Leader Ghimire said that a special general convention would bring new faces to the leadership along with policy changes.
"The current need is for the party to call a special general convention. The central committee can call it. If it does, that's good. The leaders in the central committee do not appear to be sensitive because they talk about holding a meeting and discussing it only after Chhath," Ghimire said. "It is as if nothing has happened in the country."
He also mentioned that according to Article 17 (2) of the statute, 40 percent of either the central committee or the general convention representatives can demand a special general convention by stating reasons.
"We are submitting the signatures of 40 percent of the general convention representatives," he said.
He indicated that it is time to change the party leadership.
"We have suggested a leadership change. It has become like a broken record; even the leadership didn’t listen," he said. "We will build new policies and new leadership. The Congress will move forward in a new manner with credible faces that the people trust."
There is also a debate within the NC on whether to hold a regular or special general convention.
According to general convention representative Bhupendra Jung Shahi, since the current working committee's term ends in November, it would be better to hold a regular general convention now.
"The party cannot run on a status-quo basis. An operation within the party is essential. If we fail to understand the youth's anger and public sentiment, the party cannot function. The party is in a crisis now. No one has the liberty to make decisions based on emotions; we must move forward unitedly," he said. "Since the term ends in November, holding a regular general convention with everyone's consensus would suffice. When would we hold a special general convention? According to the statute, it should be held within three months. It would be well past November."
Leader Koirala has been emphasizing that a central committee meeting should be called to build a common consensus on whether to hold a regular or special general convention.
Shahi said that Koirala stressed the need for the central committee to build a consensus on the matter during a meeting with him too.
"Shekhar dai is of the view that the central committee should discuss and form on common opinion on whether a regular or special general convention should be held. In our discussion yesterday, too, he said that the party cannot continue with the status quo and that we must not allow it to head toward a split," Shahi said.
Preparations are underway within the NC to hold a national gathering and call for signatures for a special general convention.
"Those who want to see the party transformed and systematized will be asked to support the demand for a special convention," an NC office-bearer said. "After that, we will collect signatures in the districts and House of Representatives constituencies as well. The signature collection is gradually progressing."
Deuba has 12 stitches on his head. The attack on the Deuba couple occurred on September 9.
"The signature campaign will continue, and the president will also recover. Then a central committee meeting will be held," the office-bearer said. "We hope a common consensus regarding a special or regular general convention emerges from the central committee itself. If that doesn't happen, the issue of demanding a special general convention will intensify."
While the non-establishment faction is demanding a special general convention, Deuba's faction is becoming defensive. Deuba has been calling leaders from the hospital and asking for their support. The signature campaign for a special general convention has also begun to increase pressure on him once he becomes active again.
Leaders from the Deuba faction are working on a plan to call a central committee meeting, allow everyone to speak, and, citing the special circumstances and their majority, propose extending President Deuba's term by one year. The Deuba faction believes that someone else can be picked as the prime ministerial candidate for the House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5, 2026.
If that happens, the non-establishment faction fears that Deuba will remain president until November 2026, tickets for the March 5 election will be distributed in the old style, and his influence will continue until the 15th general convention.
Moreover, the faction of Koirala and Thapa is afraid that the agenda of party transformation will be lost by then.
Therefore, they are demanding a special general convention strictly according to the party statute.
Article 17 (2) of the statute states: “If the central working committee deems it necessary to call a special central convention, or if 40 percent members of the central general convention submit a written request to the central committee with specific reasons, a special central general convention must be called within three months of the submission of such a request.”
The Koirala-Thapa faction is preparing to exert pressure for a special general convention based on this provision.
The NC has held a special general convention once in the past.
A special general convention held in Biratnagar in 1957 removed Subarna Shumsher and made BP Koirala the president. In the subsequent election, the NC won a two-thirds majority.
In the 14th general convention of the NC held in November 2021, there were 4,743 general convention representatives. Forty percent of that figure is 1,897.
