Nepali Congress general secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma have kept on pressuring party President Sher Bahadur Deuba for leadership change of the party as dispute about the timing of the party’s convention continues.

Both Thapa and Sharma are lobbying to hold the party's general convention, be it as the regular 15th general convention or as a special convention as demanded by 54 percent elected representatives for the general convention, ahead of the March 5 parliamentary elections.

But the establishment faction led by Deuba has been insisting on holding the regular convention only after the March election.

The party has been in a fix for one and half months over whether to hold a special or regular convention and whether to hold it ahead of the national elections or after that. Leaders have held a slew of meetings to resolve the differences but to no avail.

On Monday, Nepali Congress General Secretary Thapa warned that party president Deuba will not sign the candidate tickets to be distributed by the party in the upcoming elections.

According to Thapa, there will be a leadership change inside Congress ahead of the elections. Thapa has insisted for the special convention ahead of the elections.

“Since this morning, many friends have been asking, ‘Is the party going to contest the election with the current president’s signature?” he wrote on social media platforms on Monday. “I said, ‘No’.”

Then, they have another query, “How?”

I replied, “It's clear—according to the party statute, a special general convention will be held on time. From there, a new president will be elected. The decisions will be corrected and sent to the Election Commission by the new president’s signature. The party will contest the election with the new policies and leadership, under the new president's signature.”

According to him, they insisted on holding the general convention before the election for the same. “Now, there is no alternative to a special general convention,” he added.

Due to the moratorium fixed by the party’s status, Deuba cannot contest for a third time. Thapa has been vying for the post of party president.

Similarly, another general secretary Sharma has also advised Deuba to relinquish his post like what Subarna Shumsher Rana did in 1957.

“I believe that the party president, understanding the country's situation, the party's condition, and the pressure of time, could follow the path of Subarna Shumsher,” said Sharma.

He urged Deuba to convene the general convention and hand over the party leadership instead of maneuvering to prolong his tenure.

“This means that, just like in 1957, the president could personally clear the way forward,” Sharma said. “This would not only provide a solution for the party but would also elevate his respect and role as a guardian. The party cannot move forward without addressing the signatures of 54 percent of the general convention representatives. By the end of December-end, the party should conclude the special convention and by the end of 2026, we can convene the regular 15th convention.”

In mid-October, over 53 percent of elected general convention representatives signed a petition and submitted it to the party head office seeking a special general convention and a new leadership.

As the party’s central working committee that is underway for over a month remains inconclusive, the next meeting is scheduled for Thursday.

Meanwhile, a group of leaders who submitted the signatures of 54 percent elected delegates demanding a special convention held talks with President Ramchandra Paudel on Monday. Paudel was senior Congress leader before becoming the President.

But President Paudel had distanced himself from indulging into the internal matters of the Congress party.

“Any internal matter of the party is not something I can speak about; I cannot take sides either. You all should discuss among yourselves and decide what the best course of action is, and proceed accordingly,” an aide to President Paudel quoted him as saying. “Consult with everyone within the party, move forward based on that, and do not try to split the party.”

President Paudel had urged Congress leaders to resolve internal issues and focus on the upcoming election.

Two factions of the Congress held separate meetings on Monday. At least 26 central committee members close to the Deuba faction have also been demanding the party’s convention be held ahead of the March elections.

Meanwhile, as many as 91 central committee members close to the Deuba faction held a separate meeting in Kathmandu and concluded that the party should hold the general convention only after the elections.

“The party has decided to participate in the elections and has already registered with the Election Commission,” central committee member Kiran Poudel told the Post. “Now we must work according to the Election Commission’s schedule, which will leave us with very little time.”

Party’s acting president Purna Bahadur Khadka is trying his best to bring a win-win proposal and is going to table in Thursday’s meeting, said Poudel.

“Our party’s statute, under section 33(1), requires that candidates be decided at least one month in advance,” Poudel added. “The closed list must be submitted by early January and the decision needs to be made by the end of December. We won’t have enough time to complete this task. That’s why we have to focus on the parliamentary elections.”