Convention dispute flares again in Congress

At a time when other parties have stepped up election preparations, the grand old party Nepali Congress has plunged into a cycle of crisis and ambiguity over holding its general convention.

The party had started discussions on leadership change as per the mandate of the Gen Z movement and convened meetings of the central working committee and central work execution committee, and also held rounds of discussion at different levels.

But the Congress has yet to reach a decision on the party convention. Earlier, the party had planned to hold its 15th general convention from January 10 t0 12, but due to time constraints and disputes, the timetable to hold lower level party conventions has been affected. Now, the debate over calling a special general convention has resurfaced, as regular convention by January 10 is increasingly unlikely.

On Wednesday, Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Thapa declared on social media that the party would convene a special convention and informed party ranks that preparations are underway to organise it by mid-January. But his call is not free from controversy.

“Holding a special convention is not only mandatory under the party’s constitution, but it has also become essential for unity and confidence of the party,” Thapa wrote on social media. “Building a Congress capable of fulfilling its responsibilities to the nation is the collective responsibility of every Congress member today. Therefore, we are moving forward with plans to call for a special convention by mid of January to fulfill this responsibility.”

Thapa’s plan to call a special convention is backed by another general secretary, Bishwa Prakash Sharma, but it is not a unanimous proposal.

In October, as many as 54 percent of elected representatives of the Congress had submitted a memorandum at party headquarters demanding a special convention. Later, when the party decided to hold the regular convention, the idea of a special convention was put on hold.

Now the agenda pushed by the Thapa-Sharma camp has triggered a new debate in the Congress. Party chief Sher Bahadur Deuba is against the idea of holding the special convention. He has publicly said that a special convention would split the party and had earlier advised proceeding with regular convention.

As per the Congress party charter, if the central committee deems it necessary, or if 40 percent of general convention representatives submit a written request, a special general convention must be called.