The Nepali Congress faction led by former party president Sher Bahadur Deuba has failed to complete conventions according to its scheduled calendar, with conventions from the ward to district levels falling behind schedule.
Had the conventions taken place as planned, all 77 district conventions would have been completed by November 1. However, as of Tuesday, only 26 district conventions have been completed, while conventions in four additional districts have been inaugurated and are in the process of selecting leadership.
In the districts where conventions have been completed, leadership has been selected through consensus.
The Deuba faction began the convention process by appointing former general secretary Shashank Koirala as coordinator of the 15th general convention preparation committee.
Before the ward-level conventions began, coordinators had been appointed for all 77 districts.
Ward conventions were scheduled for October 1, but some locations have yet to complete them.
According to party leader Prakash Sharan Mahat, however, ward conventions were held on schedule in most places. Mahat said that conventions had been completed in 618 of the country’s 753 municipal levels. The calendar had scheduled municipal conventions for October 6.
As of Tuesday, conventions had been completed in 228 of the 330 provincial assembly constituencies, Mahat said.
“Conventions have so far been completed in 114 of the 165 House of Representatives constituencies,” he said at a press conference held on Tuesday at the faction’s contact office in Chundevi. “District conventions have been completed and leadership selected in 26 districts. In four districts, the conventions have been inaugurated and the leadership selection process is underway.”
District conventions had been scheduled for November 1. However, conventions in some districts with only one House of Representatives constituency were held ahead of schedule.
Mahat also said that the conventions were being conducted with limited preparation time.
“Despite the short preparation period, the convention process is moving forward with enthusiastic participation from party workers across the country. Local party workers are organizing conventions at various levels using their own resources and voluntary contributions,” he said.
The Deuba faction is preparing to hold provincial conventions on November 20 and the 15th general convention at Kathmandu’s Khula Manch from December 7 to 9.
Meanwhile, Mahat claimed that their faction represents the legitimate Nepali Congress and expressed confidence that the courts would deliver justice to them.
Questioning the Election Commission’s recognition of the leadership that emerged from the special general convention, Mahat said that a review process concerning the dispute was underway at the Supreme Court. He expressed confidence that the court’s review would recognize the Nepali Congress led by Deuba as the legitimate party leadership.
Mahat said that the leadership elected under Deuba at the 14th general convention in 2021 would organize the 15th general convention, after which Deuba would hand over the party leadership.
He also called for a thorough investigation into recent incidents and disputes surrounding the question of which faction represents the legitimate Nepali Congress.
Mahat argued that the leadership emerging from the special general convention had failed to preserve the party’s ideological and organizational identity.
He said that their faction continued to uphold democratic socialism, championed by BP Koirala, as well as the party’s tradition of making decisions through consensus.
