Amid a tug of war in the ruling Nepali Congress over the date of the next general convention, a prominent leader has sounded positive for electing the leadership of the country’s largest political party within the maximum limit given by its statute.

According to the Congress statute, there should be a gap of four years between two general conventions. The 14th general convention of the Congress was held in December 2021. Therefore, the regular general convention of the party should be held by the end of 2025.

Despite the statute stipulating a four-year term for an elected body, statements from party leaders indicate that the general convention is once again unlikely to be held within the four-year timeframe outlined in the statute.

“By the end of 2026, we will complete our general convention, and elections will follow in April/May of 2027,” General Secretary Gagan Thapa said, urging Congress leaders and members to end the uncertainty over the general convention.

Addressing the party’s second provincial convention in Kathmandu Constituency 2 on Thursday, Thapa said that the Congress general convention should be held no later than 2026.

While the Congress statute says that the general convention can’t be deferred by more than a year, Nepal’s constitution says that political parties must hold their conventions every five years.

Article 269(4)(b) of the constitution requires a political party to hold its general convention at least once in five years. The constitution allows events to be postponed by six months under exceptional circumstances, citing a valid reason.

“One cannot delay the general convention in the name of party unification,” Thapa said. He was referring to the statements of some Congress leaders who have even argued that the general convention may be further delayed by merging a fringe party into the Nepali Congress. Thus, general convention-related provisions can be skipped in the event of such a merger.

General Secretary Thapa and some other senior leaders including Shekhar Koirala, who leads the dissident faction in the Congress, have been advocating a timely general convention as stipulated by the party statute.

But leaders from the party establishment led by Sher Bahadur Deuba have expressed their desire to delay the event, arguing that there is nothing wrong in holding it in accordance with the constitutional provision.

According to party insiders, Deuba and leaders close to him want to prolong their tenure because the party president can’t run for another term. The Congress statute allows a leader to head the party for only two terms. Deuba has already been elected twice.

As per the agreement reached with the CPN-UML, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will hand over the government leadership to Deuba by mid-July of 2026.

According to Congress leaders, Deuba’s motive is to hold local and general elections while he is still the party president so that he can distribute tickets to party candidates as he mobilises the state apparatus as prime minister.

Koirala and Thapa fought for party president and general secretary positions respectively by forming a panel at the last general convention. While Koirala lost to Deuba, Thapa won.

Of late, Thapa is seen closer to Deuba, particularly in matters of helping the coalition government and in other political activities. However, Deuba and Thapa appear divided over the timing of the general convention while Koirala and Thapa are on the same page.

The Congress has rarely held its general convention in four years, and the party appears increasingly unlikely to break the trend this time as well.

“It has become a culture within the Congress to not hold the general convention in four years,” said Krishna Prasad Paudel, chief secretary at the Congress head office. “With this level of preparations, the party cannot hold its general convention by the end of this year.”

For the 15th general convention, the party initially aimed to complete the renewal of active party membership by mid-April (end of Chaitra).

However, the party failed to stick to its earlier decision. Consequently, the party on Wednesday allotted an extra 15 days—from 14 April—to update the active membership roster.

“There is a procedure to follow while renewing active membership,” Paudel said. “The extra 15 days are for the district committees to complete the procedure.”

Holding a position in any committee of the Congress, from the central to the ward levels, requires active membership. General convention delegates are chosen exclusively from among active members. These delegates, in turn, vote to elect the party’s new leadership.

Disputes surrounding the renewal and distribution of active membership have plagued the party. Tension often runs high in the lead-up to the general convention. Since the 12th general convention, the issue of active membership has remained unresolved. The 15th convention is approaching, and there is still no sign of a settlement.

To pave the way for the 15th convention, the Congress formed an Active Membership Management Committee led by Thapa. Central members Sita Gurung, Yogendra Chaudhary, and Prakash Rasaili (Snehi) are its members.

The committee has issued directives to six different party layers, setting deadlines to complete active membership renewal. However, party leaders claim that the membership renewal is unlikely to be completed even within the extended timeframe.