The central committee meeting of the Nepali Congress is scheduled to be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday at the party’s central office in Sanepa.
The meeting comes after the party’s central executive committee recently decided to grant central members elected through the 14th general convention the same status as central members elected through the special general convention.
Fifty-one leaders close to outgoing party president Sher Bahadur Deuba are also set to attend the meeting. The Nepali Congress central office had formally invited them to participate in the meeting.
Some of these leaders have already returned to their home districts. Ward-level conventions are scheduled for September 19 and 20. Since the provision under which central members automatically became general convention delegates has been scrapped this time, they will have to be elected from the ward level onward.
The Nepali Congress said that the 51 former central members aligned with outgoing president Deuba will participate in Thursday’s meeting as nominated central members following the central executive committee’s decision. Former joint general secretaries Mahalaxmi Upadhyay Dina and Kishor Singh Rathore, among other leaders, will reportedly attend the meeting.
General Secretary Uday Shumsher Rana said that Thursday’s meeting is being held between the central committee elected by the special general convention and the central members from the 14th general convention who were recently nominated by party President Gagan Thapa following the central executive committee meeting. According to Rana, 51 leaders close to outgoing president Deuba will join the central committee.
Those leaders had agreed a few days ago to participate in the general convention being organized by the Thapa-led establishment. The leaders, who are aligned with Deuba, former acting president Purna Bahadur Khadka, and leader Shekhar Koirala, did not participate in the special general convention held in January.
General Secretary Rana also said that since all demands raised by the non-establishment faction have been addressed, there is no longer a need for them to remain at Chundevi. He said that they would move forward under Thapa’s leadership by keeping the party united.
“President Gagan Thapaji is making efforts to unite the party. There is still time, so there is no need for our colleagues to remain at Chundevi. Please come to Sanepa,” Rana told reporters on Thursday morning.
Rana also indicated that if senior leaders find it difficult to contest and be elected from the ward level, the party president could nominate them as general convention delegates. He said that efforts would be made to bring everyone together and move forward as a united party.
