The Nepali Congress faction led by former party president Sher Bahadur Deuba is set to hold its own 15th general convention from December 7 to 9.
To participate in the general convention, central leaders will not have to return to their respective wards and contest elections. They will automatically retain the status of general convention representatives.
The Nepali Congress led by Gagan Thapa, however, has not adopted a provision to automatically make leaders general convention representatives; they must be elected from the ward level.
The Deuba faction appears to be continuing the practice followed in previous conventions.
At the general convention organized by the Deuba faction, central office-bearers elected by the 14th general convention, elected central members, nominated central members, invited central members, and provincial presidents will automatically become general convention representatives.
The faction has also made provisions under which lawmakers and candidates for the House of Representatives, National Assembly, and provincial assemblies under both direct and proportional election systems in the most recent elections, constituency presidents, and district presidents will be representatives of their respective constituencies.
The Deuba faction also plans to include young people in party structures at all levels, starting from the ward level.
It has made it mandatory for each ward committee to include at least one woman and one man aged between 18 and 28. It also requires at least one woman and one man below the age of 40. The Nepali Congress did not have such a practice in the past.
The working committee led by Gagan Thapa, which came to power through the special general convention, also ensured youth representation from the ward level through the central committee. The Deuba faction has now also introduced provisions to ensure youth representation.
Two young people will be included among provincial convention representatives. For the central general convention, each constituency will have at least one woman and one man below the age of 40 as representatives. The faction has also added a provision for two general convention representatives from each constituency – one from the expert category and one from the labor sector.
The Deuba faction has also stated that there will be no minimum active-membership period for candidates contesting positions at any level of the party.
The Nepali Congress faction led by Gagan Thapa is holding its 15th general convention from October 2 to 5, while the Deuba faction is holding a parallel convention from December 7 to 9. The Deuba faction, which did not participate in the special general convention held in January, is now preparing to hold a separate general convention.
