Politics
Congress is split over when to hold its 15th general convention: Before or after 2027 elections
Party establishment wants to convene it after general elections but rival factions insist it should be held on schedule.
Post Report
Conflicting views and positions have surfaced in the Nepali Congress over the timing of holding the party’s 15th general convention.
As per its charter, the party should hold its next general convention no later than mid-December 2025. Citing any unavoidable situation, the party can extend convening its general convention by six months. And there is also a constitutional provision for a political party, if there are difficult and unavoidable situations, to extend the general convention by a year. This gives the Congress the room for holding its general convention one-and-a-half years after December 2025.
No, the general convention will be held as per the schedule or before the general elections, said party's general secretary Gagan Thapa. But a section of Congress leaders, particularly from the Sher Bahadur Deuba faction, wants to hold the general convention only after the next round of general elections.
Deuba is the party president waiting to become the prime minister yet again when the incumbent KP Sharma Oli hands over the reins after one-and-a-half years.
“The next local and general elections will both be held under our party’s leadership of the government. As per the constitutional provision, the gap between two elections cannot be more than five years. So the next general convention of the party should be held before November 2027,” said Thapa, referring to the tentative date of the general elections.
Another senior Congress leader Shekhar Koirala is also opposed to deferring the party's general convention beyond December 2025.
But a leader close to Deuba told the Post that the party president wants to settle some key political issues by pushing back the general convention.
“One is Deuba wants to distribute election tickets in both the local, provincial and national elections. Second, he wants to ensure the political career of his wife Arzu Rana Deuba as well as of some of his loyalists. For that he wants to defer the general convention,” the leader said.
Deuba is 78 years old and he cannot run for the party presidency again as he has already been elected its chief two times. If the general convention is held before the elections, a new leadership of the party will decide the party’s candidates. “If Deuba remains at the party’s helm until the elections, he can exercise his powers,” the Congress leader said.
Moreover, if the party convention is held before the elections, it can directly impact the local and general elections as the Congress leaders are divided along faction lines in the leadership contest, said Ramhari Khatiwada, a Congress lawmaker. “I am also in favour of this proposal. This is an issue for other parties also so it is better to hold the general convention after the elections.”
Another general secretary of the party, Bishwa Prakash Sharma wants the general convention to be held on schedule.
Some Congress leaders are holding informal gatherings to advocate for the general convention after the 2027 elections.
In a recent meeting of the Congress parliamentary committee, some Congress lawmakers including Shashanka Koirala, Narayan Khadka, Ishwari Neupane and Khatiwada advised the party leadership to postpone the 15th general convention until the general elections are held.
Another Congress leader even suggested merging a small party with the Congress so that there will be no legal issues in deferring the general convention comfortably. But that is not a feasible idea, according to Thapa.
“We have no luxury of holding the convention after the elections. The general convention will elect the new party leadership, under which we will go to the polls. Discussions are going on inside the party on how fast we can conclude the convention,” said Thapa.
It is impossible to defer the general convention after merger with a small party as some Congress leaders are suggesting, said Thapa. “For this to happen, the dissolution of the Nepali Congress is a must.”
Some Congress leaders are in talks with other political parties to hold the local elections after the general elections. The result of the local elections greatly influenced the general election’s outcome, said Khatiwada. For this, the political parties have to amend the constitution, he added.