Two rival factions of the Nepali Congress on Tuesday proposed different dates for the party’s 15th general convention at the ongoing central working committee meeting.

The establishment faction led by Sher Bahadur Deuba has proposed holding the general convention after the parliamentary elections scheduled for March 5, while the rival faction led by general secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma, along with leader Shekhar Koirala, has proposed holding the convention before the elections.

The interim government formed after the anti-corruption Gen Z movement and the subsequent ouster of the KP Sharma Oli-led administration in September has scheduled the snap election for March 5 next year—almost two years ahead of schedule.

On behalf of the rival faction, Thapa proposed holding the party general convention from December 31 to January 3. He insisted that the general convention must be held before the elections.

“We have no luxury of going to the elections without holding the general convention because today’s Nepal is not the same as it was before the Gen Z movement of September 8 and 9,” Thapa said.

At least 76 people, mostly youths, were killed during the unrest, mostly as a result of a brutal government crackdown.

“We have to elect a new leadership that will be beneficial to the party in the upcoming elections. Otherwise, the elections will not benefit the party. We led several political movements in the past but the Gen Z movement was against us, against the Nepali Congress too. So the general convention is an excellent platform to connect with the people, and we must hold it at any cost before the elections,” Thapa said. “People have many questions for us and if we cannot answer them, voters will act accordingly in the elections.”

After several rounds of talks, back-channel negotiations, and gathering of the separate groups and camps, the two rival factions of the party have finally proposed two different dates for the general convention, which is expected to change the party’s leadership.

The four-year term of the incumbent central working committee expires in mid-December. But as per the party charter, a year can be added for all its elected bodies.

During the central working committee meeting, from the establishment faction, joint general secretary Mahendra Yadav proposed holding the party’s regular general convention from May 10–14, 2026.

Party president Sher Bahadur Deuba and leaders close to him steer the establishment faction. The two factions are engaged in parallel power exercises in the party, including separate gatherings, to pile pressure on their respective camps to hold the upcoming convention either before or after the elections.

At the start of Tuesday’s meeting, acting Congress president Purna Bahadur Khadka stated that efforts are being made to reach a consensus.

“We have held several rounds of informal discussions at central work execution meetings, and efforts are being made to create an environment where all agendas can be finalised through consensus,” Khadka said. He added that informal meetings would continue to be held to build consensus among party members, according to the Congress leaders.

Rival faction leaders and dissidents had last month submitted a petition to acting party chief Khadka for a special general convention, signed by 54 percent of the convention representatives.

General Secretary Thapa, in his address, said that Deuba had left for Singapore for medical treatment, giving others the opportunity to reform and reorganise the party. Highlighting that the country faces multiple challenges, Thapa stated that Nepal could either move towards more violence, remain as it is, or embrace the new situation by addressing the grievances of the general public.

He said that if the central committee fails to make a decision on the general convention, the party would be compelled to go for a special general convention.

In this state of confusion, the Congress should have the courage to provide leadership for the country, said Thapa. “We did nothing in the two months after the Gen Z movement. Are we telling the people that we are here only to quarrel and fight each other?”

Both camps have proposed detailed plans for holding the convention, including renewal of active membership, and holding local-, provincial-, and central-level conventions.