KATHMANDU, Jan 14: Negotiations between the rival Nepali Congress (NC) faction led by Gagan Thapa and the party’s establishment faction have moved closer to consensus, although differences persist over the role of party President Sher Bahadur Deuba until the regular general convention.
Leaders familiar with the developments said the two sides are likely to strike a deal and avert an imminent party split if they can agree on the role and position Deuba should hold until the regular general convention scheduled for May.
According to leaders who participated in the discussions, those advocating a Special General Convention proposed that President Deuba should no longer play an active role in the party, that the NC should not form an electoral alliance with the CPN-UML, and that the establishment faction should take ownership of the ongoing Special General Convention, among other demands.
“There is no dispute over the remaining proposals, but consensus has yet to be reached on what the president’s role should be,” said Guru Ghimire, who attended the meeting.
Discussions were held on how Deuba’s leadership should be managed during the interim period until the regular general convention.
Two factions emerge in NC’s rival camp
Leaders backing the ongoing Special General Convention, who have been in dialogue since Monday, have proposed forming a ‘high command’ to run the party instead of electing a new president, as a middle path to resolve the rift between the convention conveners and the establishment faction.
The proposal came after President Deuba declined to step down ahead of the House of Representatives (HoR) elections, which was one of the key demands of the rival faction organizing the Special General Convention.
“On the recommendation of leaders of the establishment faction, we have forwarded the idea of forming a mechanism—a high command—that will consist of three to five members and take all party-related decisions,” said Ghimire, a key initiator of the signature campaign demanding the Special General Convention.
Ghimire told Republica that the proposed mechanism would include Acting President Purna Bahadur Khadka, General Secretary duo Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma, senior leader Dr Shekhar Koirala, and one or two other leaders.
“This high command will be responsible for distributing election tickets, forming the parliamentary board, and making all other election-related decisions,” Ghimire added. He said the rival faction has reiterated that the establishment faction must take ownership of the ongoing Special General Convention and implement the decisions made during its closed-door session.
Both the rival and establishment factions held two rounds of talks on Tuesday but failed to reach a consensus. The dialogue stalled after President Deuba remained firm on not resigning and insisted that elections be held only under his leadership.
It is learnt that the rival faction has shown flexibility in allowing Deuba to lead the party into the March 5 HoR elections. Likewise, the establishment faction has shown willingness to take ownership of the ongoing Special General Convention and implement its decisions.
The establishment faction has shown flexibility in not forming an alliance with the UML and has suggested that ownership of the special general convention could also be taken with some adjustment in wording, said a leader who attended the Special General Convention.
According to another leader, the Deuba group was unwilling to listen to any proposals until Tuesday morning, but has now gone into discussions carrying a proposal from the party president as well.
Meanwhile, the Special General Convention has concluded its closed-door session, endorsing the political and organizational reports presented by Thapa and Sharma.
The closed session, held on Tuesday at Bhrikutimandap, passed both reports following discussions and suggestions from delegates. Thapa presented the political report, while Sharma presented the organizational report.
The reports were formally ratified at the concluding ceremony after incorporating feedback from the floor. The Special General Convention has announced that it will hold elections on Wednesday to elect new leadership if no consensus is reached with the establishment faction.
