It seems all but natural that the Nepali Congress is deeply marred by factionalism. Ever since the party unification in 2007, all nominations by the party have been divided by then party president Girija Prasad Koirala and Sher Bahadur Deuba in a 60:40 ratio. Now Ram Chandra Poudel, who leads the previous establishment faction after Deuba was elected the party president in March, has demanded at least 40pc stake within the party.

Carry on with traditions

It seems, however, that the party’s general convention has given birth to a new faction, with Krishna Prasad Sitaula, earlier from the same camp asPoudel, choosing to fight for the party presidency. Since then, the Sitaula faction has claimed a stake in every activity of the party—whether it be ministerial berths, student-wing elections or now the women-wing conclave.

Sitaula’s Nepal Students’ Union candidate, Kundan Kafle, who staged a hunger strike alleging that the representatives of their conclave were not fairly elected, was eventually squeezed into the establishment side’s panel. Ultimately, the Deuba panel swept through the elections, claiming all three major posts and established a strong grip within the union that had in previous years been a stronghold of the Koiralas. It turned out to be a win-win situation for both the party president and for Sitaula.

On the other hand, the Poudel-faction failed to stick together. Already losing a significant grip among the cadres after Sitaula’s defection, some leaders blamed Shekhar Koirala for the defeat in NSU. A second contender for the  NSU president from their faction, who party insiders say stood with the backing of Shekhar Koirala, eventually took away decisive votes that could possibly have led to the victory of Poudel’s candidate. Now, the women-wing also has Deuba and Sitaula working together.

But despite the fact that Deuba’s moves have proven to be a masterclass in expanding his grip within the party, it has come at its own cost.

New faction in the offing

However unlikely it might seem, rumours are rife within the NC about the formation of a new faction. According to party insiders, some leaders are unhappy about Deuba sidelining them while taking crucial decisions. They are irked that the party president has “instead sided with Sitaula”. These leaders include Gopal Man Shrestha, Khum Bahadur Khadka, KB Gurung, Purna Bahadur Khadka, Chitralekha Yadav, Govinda Raj Joshi and Pushpa Bhusal.

But the same insiders also claim that “these leaders are just excising their dissatisfaction and may have united for their personal benefits, and as a result of any ideological differences.”

Shrestha, a former vice president of the then breakaway party led by Deuba, claims that he is the most experienced candidate to be nominated as the party president’s deputy. Khum Bahadur, too, feels that he should be the party’s vice-president in return of his “support for Deuba’s election in March.”

Gurung, as the most senior member in the central committee, thinks that he deserves to be the vice president as well.

Yadav, on the other hand, who was a minister in Sushil Koirala-led government and a former treasurer of the party, both with the Deuba’s blessings, is unhappy that she was not made the establishment side’s official president candidate in the ongoing Nepal Women’s Association conclave.

The situation with Purna Bahadur is no different. He was nominated the party’s joint general secretary, the last time, under Deuba’s quota. But it is said that the party president expressed serious reservations when he resigned from the post right before the promulgation of the constitution last September without consulting him. Regardless, he is now eyeing the general secretary post, in which party insiders claim Deuba has set his mind to either nominate Bal Krishna Khand or Gyanendra Karki.

Plan and execute

The same insiders, however, say Deuba has his own plans for them, and is well assured that his formula will pan out well. As per Deuba’s cards, Shrestha should be nominated the party’s deputy parliamentary party leader, andKhumBahadur faction to get either the general secretary or joint general secretary—in which case Purna Bahadur and Bhusal are respective candidates—and Gurung to be fielded as the country’s presidential candidate following the parliamentary elections in about 17 months time. Shrestha and Khum Bahadur will also be inducted into the party’s Parliamentary Board, which is considered a vital mechanism used to excise grip within the cadres as it hands out election tickets and picks proportional representatives for the Parliament.

But it is yet to be seen to what extent these disgruntled voices go in order to get their demands heard. The party’s general convention has just ended, and these leaders will not likely be given any space within Poudel’s faction. It will be in their best interest if they remain in the Deuba camp. In that case, in the worst possible scenario, Deuba will face being in minority in the central committee of the party. This means he will not be able to nominate his loyalists to the party’s top posts. If Deuba plays his cards right, he will wait until a new government is formed under his leadership, where he

can settle some of the leader’s grievances with ministerial berths. Before that, he could also settle some of them as chiefs of the party’s departments that are still lying empty.

Running the largest political party in the country is not a walk in the park. And if a successful leadership is defined by how well they have a grip within the party and the state, Deuba is right up there. A major coalition partner with over a dozen ministries and strategically holding a grip in all major sister organisations within the party, and in line to become the next prime minister of the country, insiders are well aware that Deuba is moving in the right direction.