The Nepali Congress has decided to distribute and renew active memberships throughout the month of Baisakh (mid-April to mid-May).
According to party leaders, anyone wishing to obtain active membership must personally visit the ward committee concerned. It will no longer be possible for others to fill out the form and pay the fee on someone’s behalf, as was done in the past.
NC General Secretary Pradip Paudel said that those seeking active membership must personally visit the ward committee to fill out the active membership form.
“Individuals who want to obtain active membership must visit their ward committee themselves, get their photo taken, and provide a mandatory mobile number because an OTP (one-time password) will be sent there. The active membership will be verified based on that password,” said Paudel. “Instead of the traditional active membership card, we will now issue a Congress ID, which will be digital.”
The Nepali Congress aims to make the distribution, management, and archiving of active memberships more organized, efficient, and convenient.
The party is preparing to keep a record of all active members still affiliated with the party and give all members a one-time opportunity to fill out the active membership form again. For this purpose, it will organize a special campaign for renewal and distribution of active memberships throughout the month of Baisakh.
The party’s central committee has already decided to run a special membership update campaign in all 6,743 wards across the country throughout Baisakh.
“The party will provide a Congress ID with a new number to those who update their membership in Baisakh,” said Paudel. “Only the list of members updated in Baisakh will be maintained as active memberships going forward.”
During the 14th general convention in December 2021, there were 882,816 active members in the Nepali Congress. According to the party statute, active membership must be renewed every year, but most members used to renew their membership only after the general convention was announced.
Party leaders say that after many active members were found openly supporting, campaigning for, and voting for candidates from other parties, the party now wants to keep only active members that are fewer but committed to the organization.
According to the NC, even those who renewed their active membership this year (BS 2082) will have to personally visit their ward committee in Baisakh and fill out the active membership form.
“I am an active member from Ward No. 30 in Kathmandu. I paid the fee and renewed my membership only recently. But on Baisakh 1, I will again have to go to the ward committee, fill out the active membership form, and provide details along with my photo. The ward committee will decide, and then I will get my Congress ID,” said party President Gagan Thapa. “The Congress ID will be digital. Once you get it, you won’t have to fill out the form again.”
The fee for renewing active membership in the Nepali Congress is Rs 200. Those who have recently paid the renewal fee will not have to pay again.
“For example, there are 343 active members in Kathmandu Ward No. 30. Throughout Baisakh, those who come to update and those who are new applicants will receive the Congress ID,” said Thapa. “Those who personally come to update will remain active members of the Congress. The names of those who do not update will remain in the records, but they will not be able to participate in the 15th general convention.”
The NC has scheduled its 15th general convention for Asoj (September–October) this year.
Additionally, active members of the party will now have to take an oath in the ward committee immediately after obtaining the Congress ID.
The oath includes the statement: “I will participate in the campaigns of the Nepali Congress with honesty, while remaining committed to the principles and ideals of the Nepali Congress.”
Previously, a four-page form with similar content existed, but it was not given priority. This time, since those seeking active membership must personally visit the ward committee, leaders say the oath has been made mandatory and given priority.
The oath is also intended to make members publicly acknowledge that they have taken the party’s membership.
“Those who do not update their membership during the campaign in Baisakh, their membership can be considered to have been canceled. Their names will remain in the records, but they will not be allowed to participate in the 15th general convention,” said NC President Thapa.
The party president has also been conveying this message in provincial-level election review meetings attended by leaders and workers.
