KATHMANDU, Jan 11: Conveners of the special general convention of the Nepali Congress (NC) are set to begin the inauguration ceremony on Sunday despite calls from the party’s top office-bearers, specially those close to the establishment faction led by party President Sher Bahadur Deuba to refrain from holding such a gathering.
The enthusiasm is also backed by the arithmetic calculation of convention delegates, with the rival faction claiming that over 60 percent will participate. The faction says an overwhelming number of delegates will join the Special General Convention. It has identified five districts—Dolakha, Mustang, Manang, Dadeldhura and Surkhet—where participation is expected to remain below 50 percent. Until Saturday morning, delegates from two districts—Dhanusa and Parsa—were also not expected to join the convention, but the situation changed by evening, according to NC leader Manoj Mani Acharya, the convention coordinator. “Delegates of all the other districts will be much higher than 50 per cent, with some districts having participation higher than 90 per cent,” Acharya said.
This claim, however, is not official, as five provincial chairpersons and 47 district chairpersons across the country have formally called on party cadres to boycott the Special General Convention. This move is further backed by 17 sister organizations of the party, which have refused to grant legitimacy to the Special General Convention. Moreover, the party’s Central Work Performance Committee (CWPC) has officially called for the withdrawal of the convention, citing that it has already announced another general convention.
Despite these official calls, thousands of party cadres have been seen gathering in Kathmandu for the Special General Convention. Buses from far-flung districts carrying banners of the Special General Convention have started arriving in the capital, and Bhrikutimandap—the venue of the event—has already begun to witness a large influx of people from across the country.
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Meanwhile, former NC Vice-President Gopal Man Shrestha, once considered close to Sher Bahadur Deuba, on Saturday announced his support for the Special General Convention. Shrestha, regarded as one of the party’s core seven leaders, had been a loyal supporter of Deuba from the very beginning. Other prominent leaders who were either undecided or aligned with the establishment faction, including Chandra Bhandari, Sunil Sharma and Rajendra Kharel, have also sided with the rival faction.
Delegate registration will begin at 8:00 am Sunday, while the inauguration ceremony is scheduled to begin at 1:00 pm.
It remains uncertain whether NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba will attend the Special General Convention. The organizing committee has officially invited Deuba to serve as the chief guest at the event.
“In light of the changed political landscape, the NC is set to convene its second historic Special General Convention, rooted in Nepal’s democratic history, values and traditions, with the aim of taking the party forward with renewed energy, unity and transformation,” the letter states. “We cordially invite you to inaugurate the ceremony and grace the occasion as the chief guest.” Invitations have also been sent to other office-bearers to attend the program.
The party claims that around 35,000 people will attend the two-day convention, which aims to propose changes to the policy and leadership of the country’s largest party in the dissolved House of Representatives.
