The faction led by outgoing Nepali Congress (NC) president Sher Bahadur Deuba is preparing to hold a series of gatherings.
Deuba’s camp is making arrangements to congratulate and extend best wishes to the newly elected members of the National Assembly and the House of Representatives, convene a meeting of the central committee elected during the 14th General Convention, and organize a meeting of district presidents.
The Deuba faction did not participate in the Special General Convention held in January. That convention led to the formation of a new central committee under the leadership of Gagan Thapa. After the Election Commission granted recognition to the Special General Convention, the Deuba faction challenged the decision in the Supreme Court, and the case remains sub judice.
According to party leaders, the Deuba faction is preparing for a sequence of meetings to discuss and reach conclusions on various issues, including the review of the March 5 House of Representatives election, contemporary political developments, the arrests of party leaders by the government led by Balendra Shah, and future strategies.
Deuba is currently abroad, having handed over acting responsibilities to then vice president Purna Bahadur Khadka on October 14. Khadka has been leading various discussions on behalf of the Deuba faction. Deuba is currently in Hong Kong for medical treatment, and his group is organizing these various gatherings while he is abroad.
Leaders stated that a program to congratulate and extend best wishes to newly elected lawmakers is scheduled for Monday. There are 38 NC members in the House of Representatives, while nine members were elected to the National Assembly late January. Furthermore, the Deuba faction is preparing to hold a meeting of the central committee elected from the 14th General Convention on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by a district presidents' meeting on April 2.
The establishment faction is dissatisfied with Purna Bahadur Khadka issuing statements in his capacity as acting president, warning that they will not renew his active membership if further statements are issued. Khadka released a statement on Saturday following the arrests of former prime minister KP Sharma Oli and former home minister Ramesh Lekhak. Although former energy minister and NC leader Deepak Khadka has also been arrested, Purna Bahadur Khadka did not issue a statement regarding that matter.
Leaders from his faction state that Khadka issues statements only after consulting with leaders including Shekhar Koirala. "We will reach conclusions on various issues through successive meetings," said a leader from the non-establishment group. "Meetings of the central committee and district presidents are underway." However, leaders are reluctant to speak about this matter officially. The establishment faction has called for an "urgent meeting of the Discipline Committee" on Wednesday.
Outgoing central member Kundan Raj Kafle stated that although he has seen reports in the media about meetings to congratulate lawmakers and convene central members, he has not received any formal information.
It appears that the establishment and non-establishment factions within NC are conducting parallel activities. For the House of Representatives election, candidates contested the polls with the signatures of the then president Deuba for proportional representation and President Gagan Thapa for the direct electoral system.
Leaders of the non-establishment faction, who contested the election under Thapa’s signature, are suggesting that the 15th General Convention Organizing Committee should be formed by merging the central committee from the 14th General Convention and the central committee from the Special General Convention.
NC has already released a schedule to hold the 15th General Convention in September. Leaders of the non-establishment faction have been stating that they cannot proceed to a regular general convention until the case in the Supreme Court is resolved.
