Senior Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel on Monday urged party President and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to dissolve the Parliamentary Board and the Central Executive Committee formed “against the spirit of the party charter”.

Both the panels have more members than specified in the party charter. In a meeting called by Deuba at the PM’s residence to discuss the upcoming Upper House elections and related preparations, the Poudel faction urged the party chief to dissolve the panels immediately. He also asked the PM to call a meeting of the Central Working Committee to discuss the party’s poor electoral showing.

“The NC is in crisis,” Poudel, who has upped the ante since the party’s poor showing in the elections, told the Post. “As the party needs serious attention, I urged the party president to dissolve those bodies formed contrary to the party charter.”

Senior NC leaders including General Secretary Shashank Koirala, Bimalendra Nidhi and Krishna Prasad Sitaula were present in the meeting.

There have been calls from several quarters in the party to convene the CWC right after the election results were out but the PM is buying time, the rival faction has accused.

“I advised the PM to revamp the party organisation and rectify the mistakes we committed in the past but he heard a little without responding much, Poudel said.

On the oversized committees, Deuba said Poudel also shared the blame as he had pressed for inclusion of more people in the panels. As per the party charter, the parliamentary board should have 14 members. But the panel formed ahead of the elections is 24-strong. The CEC has 29 members while the charter limits their number to 22.

To mount pressure on Deuba, the Poudel faction has been organising meetings. Monday’s meet at Baluwatar briefly discussed probable party candidates for the upcoming Upper House elections, appointment of provincial chiefs and naming of temporary provincial capitals.