The Nepali Congress has decided to reschedule the local, district and provincial level conventions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A meeting of incumbent and former office-bearers of the party and some Central Working Committee members on Sunday decided to call a CWC meeting on Tuesday to approve the new dates of general conventions from ward level to provincial levels.

The main opposition, however, remains undecided whether to postpone the party’s 14th General Convention, which has been scheduled for February 19-22, 2021.

Senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel told the Post that he believes that the General Convention will be held as planned.

“Though the party has decided to reschedule the local-level conventions, we still believe that the General Convention will take place on the scheduled date,” Poudel told the Post.

He said the local-level conventions had to be rescheduled because the party could not do the preparations because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown. 

“Distribution of active membership has halted so our conventions beginning from ward level have been affected. Due to Covid-19, our local level preparations have been delayed by almost two and half months, so we have to reschedule them,” Poudel said.

The rescheduled dates for the local-level conventions will be presented at the Central Working Committee on Tuesday.

As per the new schedule, the distribution of active membership will commence from mid-July to mid-August.

During this period, the party also plans to complete the formation of all interim structures of the party, another senior party leader Ram Sharan Mahat said.

“The local conventions of the party at the ward, village and municipal levels will begin from mid-October while the district-level convention will be concluded by December 31,” Mahat told the Post.

Asked whether there is any possibility of rescheduling the central-level General Convention, Mahat said it depends on how the Covid-19 situation pans out.

Bishow Prakash Sharma, the Nepali Congress spokesperson, however, said that there is a possibility of the 14th General Convention getting postponed up to May/June of next year if the Covid-19 crisis got worse. 

There are several presidential contenders for the party, including the incumbent President Sher Bahadur Deuba, General Secretary Shashank Koirala and senior leaders Ram Chandra Poudel, Ram Sharan Mahat and Shekhar Koirala.

Senior party leader Arjun Narsingh KC said the party leaders do not think that the General Convention could be held in time, then the party must reschedule.

If the General Convention is postponed, it will be Deuba who will benefit the most, some party leaders say.
“It is too early to tell if the General Convention will be postponed, but if that came to pass, it will surely be President Deuba who will benefit,” youth leader Ramhari Khatiwada said.