The establishment faction has been lobbying to increase the numbers of office bearers to be elected from the party's upcoming general convention as it has been facing challenges in providing senior positions to all senior leaders sharing allegiance with it.
Deuba faction has been resisting the proposal so as to create dissatisfaction within the establishment faction and weaken the establishment faction's party presidency bid in the upcoming general convention scheduled for March 3. The faction has been citing statutory limitations in doing so.
Sources within the party claim that the Deuba faction wants to create dissatisfaction and subsequently division within the Koirala panel to attract some heavyweight leaders to its side by offering some key positions. Senior leaders Chandra Bhandari, Man Bahadur Bishwakarma, Bishwa Prakash Sharma, Keshav Budhathoki and Shyam Ghimire have already joined the Deuba panel while Arjun Narasing KC, among other senior leaders, is weighing their prospects for sharing their allegiance.
With the Deuba faction unwilling to come together for amending the party's statute and pave way for adding more members to its Central Working Committee (CWC), party president Sushil Koirala's panel's bid is facing roadblock.
"Amendment of key provisions of the statute isn't possible unless all sides in the party agree on it," party central committee member Pushpa Bhusal, who is also a member of the party's statute amendment panel, told Republica.
Party sources inform that the Koirala faction is in favor having at least three vice-presidents, two general secretaries, five deputy general secretaries and one treasurer so that they can accommodate all the aspirants. At present, there is one vice-president, two general secretaries, one deputy general secretary and a treasurer in the CWC.
Defending the proposal, Ananda Dhungana, supposed to be close with president Koirala, said that the party is pushing for increasing the number of office bearers to restructure the party in accordance with the new constitution that has proposed to federate the country into seven provinces.
"A large section of party rank and file is in favor of increasing the number of CWC members so that at least one office bearers can be added for each of the provinces, apart from the existing office bearers," said Dhungana. However, the argument is rejected by the other faction.
NC is presently holding village, municipal, area wise and district convention under the existing party statute. And with these conventions underway, it does not have time for amending the party's statute anytime before the general convention. The party's statute amendment panel is likely to propose forming a body to oversee the seven provinces which will be endorsed from the general convention, said leader Yadav.
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