A day after Nepali Congress general secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma officially called for a special convention, fear has gripped the rank and file that the country’s oldest political party may split.

Confrontation between the party establishment and the rival faction became more pronounced on Thursday following Thapa and Sharma’s Wednesday announcement that the special convention would be held on January 11 and 12 in Kathmandu.

As the convention organisers say their preparations are in full swing, a meeting of the central work execution committee on Thursday evening requested both Thapa and Sharma to withdraw the special convention for the sake of the party’s unity—but the duo refused to do so.

The meeting also decided to request the general convention representatives to withdraw their signatures earlier submitted to the party headquarters demanding a special convention.

While rejecting the request made by Congress acting president Purna Bahadur Khadka at the meeting, Thapa reiterated their position that the rationale behind the special convention had become strong after the party failed to hold its regular 15th general convention.

The party cannot muzzle the voices of a majority of the representatives calling for the special convention, Thapa said in the meeting. “We want to change the party leadership ahead of the March election.”

Rather than pushing for cancellation of the special convention, Thapa invited party president Sher Bahadur Deuba to attend it.

This resolve of the general secretaries has created trouble for the establishment faction led by Deuba. Moreover, several Congress district committees have started expressing their support for the special convention. The district leaders have urged the party representatives to attend the special convention so as to build the “momentum to change the party leadership”.

With the party reportedly on the verge of a split as neither side is ready to back down, Deuba called a meeting of senior party leaders on Thursday to assess the situation.

“We have concluded that the situation is becoming more critical day by day. Party leader Shekhar Koirala urged Deuba to take a special initiative to prevent a split,” two Congress leaders told the Post.

The meeting concluded that posturing in the Congress for and against the special convention has reached a tipping point and an urgent call is required to stop this vertical split, said the leaders.

The establishment faction led by Deuba is trying its best to scuttle the special convention by taking some counter-measures and announcing some retaliatory activities starting Friday.

The faction supporting the special convention has accused the establishment camp of trying to tread a path of confrontation by holding a youth gathering at the party office on January 11.

Senior leaders from the establishment side, meeting at Deuba's residence on Thursday, decided to call a gathering of the party's central working committee members on Friday and a meeting of youths on Sunday, the first day of the special convention.

“The sole purpose of the gathering is to demonstrate our majority in the central committee as a counter to those supporting the special convention,” a leader from the establishment faction said.

“We, only the members of the central working committee, will meet,” said the leader. “We have not invited any senior leader. Those 25 central committee members who were in the Deuba camp but favour a party convention ahead of March 5 are also invited to the gathering in Baneshwar.”

But according to Ajaya Babu Siwakoti, a central committee member from the Thapa-Sharma camp: “The day we are opening the special convention, the establishment faction has called a gathering of youths. This clearly shows they want confrontation.”

On October 15, writing a petition, 54 percent elected representatives to the general convention demanded a special convention citing the party charter. They alleged that the Congress establishment was not ready to change the party’s leadership to reflect the spirit of the September Gen Z revolt.

Riding the support of the majority members in the central working committee, the Deuba faction kept brushing off the demand for a general convention, special or regular, ahead of the March 5 polls.

The Congress establishment was adamant on holding the general convention only after March elections. Earlier this week, a meeting of the central work execution committee endorsed May 11-14 as the new dates for the party’s 15th general convention.

Dujang Sherpa, chairman of the Nepal Tarun Dal, the Congress youth front, will lead the youth gathering at the party office so that the supporters of the special convention cannot capture the office, said a leader close to Deuba.

If the youth meeting is called with the intention of occupying the party office, Siwakoti said, “such actions will not be tolerated”.

The dispute over the special convention in the Nepali Congress has also reached the Election Commission.

A letter has been sent to the commission, requesting it to direct the party president and the acting president to convene or ensure the organisation of the special convention.

Supporters of the special convention wrote to the poll authority on January 2, requesting it to issue directives to the party president, acting president, and the Central Working Committee in accordance with Section 57 of the Political Parties Act, 2073 (2016).

However, even after nine days, the commission is yet to initiate any process.

That particular section of the Act authorises the commission to issue necessary directives to ensure that a political party operates in accordance with the constitution, the law, and its statute for leadership renewal.

Article 269 of the constitution states that political parties must hold elections (convention) for central and provincial-level office bearers at least once every five years. Accordingly, the Parties Act mandates that elections for central and provincial-level office bearers be held and updated every five years.

On the poll body not issuing any instruction to the party leadership, a Congress leader said the commission does not want to get into a party’s internal issues and controversies.

On the other hand, special convention organisers said they have already formed 18 subcommittees to organise the event. “We will mobilise over 1,000 volunteers on January 11 and 12,” said Manish Koirala, who leads the volunteer management committee.

He added that the construction of a stage for the convention at Bhrikutimandap began on Thursday.

Jawan Dhamala, who manages the delegates’ accommodation, told the Post a total of 1,500 hotel rooms have been booked for representatives coming from outside the Kathmandu valley.

“We have asked others to manage their accommodation at their relatives’ residences,” Dhamala said.