Concluding that intra-party rift was one of reasons behind the party’s worst electoral debacle, the Nepali Congress (NC) has instructed district committees to submit detailed reviews.

The instruction follows complaints of candidates from some districts that intra-party non-cooperation played a crucial role in the party’s defeat.

The NC has won 23 seats in the House of Representatives (HoR) against the left alliance’s 116 under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) category.

The left alliance of the CPN-UML and the CPN (Maoist Centre) has completed a clean sweep winning 80 and 36 seats respectively for the 165 HoR seats under the FPTP category.

Some district committees are learnt to have already submitted the details while others are yet to do so.

 After studying reports collected from the districts, the party will take action against those leaders who played “negative roles”, according to party sources.  A meeting of the Central Working Committee (CWC), which is likely to be called within a week, will discuss the internal problems that led to the party’s defeat, they said.

NC leader Ramesh Rijal who is close to party President Sher Bahadur Deuba said intra-party rift was prevalent in several constituencies and that the party is collecting details.

“We we will discuss the matter at the party’s CWC soon,” Rijal told Post.

Okhaldhunga district chapter of the NC has expelled 20 local leaders and cadres for “sabotage”. Their general memberships have been scrapped by the party.

District leader Gyanendra Rumdali had filed nomination as an independent candidate against party’s official candidate Ram Hari Khatiwada. Khatiwada lost the election to left alliance’s Yagya Raj Sunuwar. The local leaders in question have been charged with supporting rival party candidates and creating rumours about the NC’s official candidates.

Party leaders said intra-party rift was seen in Syangja district as well.

NC’s Syangja district chapter president Kamal Pangeni said there was non-cooperation from party leaders and cadres in the elections. “The CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Centre) were committed to each other, but our leaders and cadres appeared non-committal to their own party,” he said, pointing at weakness on the part of the NC leadership as well.

“Factional politics in the NC began during the 1993 parliamentary elections and this is still affecting the party. Party leadership should take this issue seriously,” Pangeni said.

NC Tanahaun district chapter has already recommended the NC headquarters that action be taken against leaders and cadres who betrayed the party in elections.

Senor NC leader Ram Chandra Poudel was defeated by UML candidate Krishna Kumar Shrestha. Party district chapter has concluded that leader Govinda Raj Joshi, whose nomination was scrapped by the Election Commission, supported the rival party candidate. 

Nuwakot is yet another district where the NC, leaders said, had to pay a price due to intra-party rift. Ram Sharan Mahat and Arjun Narasingh KC lost elections in the district. After the biggest poll debacle in the party’s history, voices are getting stronger in the NC that Deuba resign as party president.