There are over half a dozen aspirants for the powerful job. [break]
According to the party statute, the general convention will elect one general-secretary and the elected party president will appoint another.
Vice President Prakash Man Singh, General-Secretaries KB Gurung and Bimalendra Nidhi, Joint General-Secretaries Arjun Narsingh KC and Dr Ram Sharan Mahat and Khum Bahadur Khadka and Sujata Koirala have expressed interest in running for general-secretary.
Party insiders say even NC leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula nurses a desire to contest the post though he has confided this only to his close circle.
Koirala and Deuba’s difficulty in picking a particular leader as ‘running mate’ lies in the fact that their choices can alienate other aspirants, potentially affecting their own electoral prospects.
Compared to Deuba, acting president Koirala faces tough choices. There are too many party heavy-weights who want to be on the ticket from his panel. “It’s a tough call for Koirala, who is not known for hard or prompt decisions, to choose from among Prakash Man Singh, Ram Saran Mahat and Arjun Narsingh KC,” said one NC leader.
Deuba seems more inclined to have Bimalendra Nidhi as his ‘running mate’ but is concerned whether he can keep Khum Bahadur Khadka on his side.
One senior leader close to Deuba, however, claimed that he has conveyed to Khadka that he is willing to nominate him as a general-secretary if he (Deuba) wins the election. Party insiders believe that Khadka will choose to stay with Deuba only if he sees the possibility of the latter winning the contest.
To find a way out of the difficulty, the Koirala faction is lobbying to amend the statue and increase the number of general-secretaries and vice-presidents.
At an office bearers’ meeting held recently at Koirala’s residence, two of his close aides – Vice-president Ram Chandra Poudel and Arjun Narsingh KC -- had proposed to increase the number of vice-presidents and general-secretaries to three each.
Though Deuba seemed okay with the proposal, a majority of Central Working Committee (CWC) members opposed the idea. CWC members including Purna Bahadur Khadka, Narahari Acharya and Minendra Rijal spoke out against such an amendment just before the general convention.
As per the party’s statute as amended by the Mahasamiti meeting last year, there will be elections for the party president, one general-secretary and a treasurer. The elected president will nominate a vice-president, a general-secretary and a joint general-secretary from among the 25 elected CWC members in the party office bearers’ body.
koshraj@myrepublica.com
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