Only around 200,000 Nepali Congress members have updated their details through the party’s digital verification campaign, raising concerns that the party’s active membership could shrink significantly ahead of its next general convention.

The campaign, launched on April 14 as part of the party’s digital transformation drive, is due to end on June 4. The party had 850,000 active members during its 14th general convention. That number, however, is expected to go down as the party grapples with internal rivalries, growing disengagement among members and defections to other parties.

Despite the slow progress, general secretary Pradip Paudel, who is coordinating the campaign, said he remains confident that around 500,000 members will complete the update process before the deadline.

At the last general convention, Bagmati Province had the highest number of active members, with nearly 200,000, while Karnali had the fewest at 54,000, followed by Sudurpaschim with 74,000.

According to Paudel, Madhesh Province has recorded the lowest number of updates so far despite having sent around 114,000 representatives to the previous convention. Sudurpaschim and Karnali have also seen low participation. Lumbini and Gandaki provinces, meanwhile, have reported the highest rates of digital updates, outperforming even Bagmati.

The verification drive comes ahead of the party’s central general convention scheduled for September 25-30. Active members form the party’s electoral base. They elect delegates from the ward level, who then vote to choose the central leadership, including the party president.

Because of its direct impact on the party’s internal elections, the digital verification process has become a major source of conflict within the Congress.

Former president Sher Bahadur Deuba, former acting president Purna Bahadur Khadka and leader Shekhar Koirala, along with leaders and cadres aligned with them, have largely stayed away from the campaign. These leaders had also boycotted the party’s special general convention held in January.

Prakash Sharan Mahat, a leader from the dissident camp, questioned why members are being asked to verify their details again only months after the party completed its membership renewal process.

Ahead of the party’s 15th general convention, around 500,000 members renewed their membership and another 150,000 new members joined. The process was completed by the first week of January.

Paudel has maintained that the current campaign is not intended to distribute new memberships but only to digitise the records of existing members.

However, leaders from the rival (Deuba) faction suspect the move is aimed at influencing the upcoming general convention by making digital registration compulsory.

Many leaders aligned with the Koirala faction and the Khadka-Deuba camp have not only refused to update their membership details but have also continued to carry out parallel party activities outside the official structure.

In an effort to ease tensions, party president Gagan Thapa offered senior leader positions to Khadka and Koirala and on May 11 nominated 19 leaders close to them to the central working committee.

Both leaders publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the move, saying the appointments were made without consultation. A leader from the dissident camp said Khadka and Koirala have declined the senior leader posts.

Although the Supreme Court on April 17 recognised the central working committee formed through the special general convention, the rival camp has continued to withhold support.

The dissident leaders have called for a broader agreement to reunify the party and have pushed for a return to the traditional system of institutional power-sharing. The establishment faction, however, wants to move away from the old 60:40 power-sharing arrangement and has instead sought to engage dissatisfied leaders individually.

Mahat argued that the digital verification campaign has undermined confidence in the convention process. He called for the drive to be suspended and for an all-party organising committee to oversee preparations for the convention.

His faction wants the convention to proceed on the basis of memberships renewed five months ago. It has also proposed that leaders from both camps jointly oversee election management, disciplinary matters and membership verification.

“We are not asking for anything beyond this,” Mahat said. “If even these basic concerns are ignored, I may choose to stay away, though I doubt others will remain silent.”

He suggested that the potential unity of the party depends largely on how the leadership responds to the concerns raised by the dissident camp.

“Whether the party moves towards unity or division is now largely in Gagan Thapa’s hands,” Mahat said.

Shekhar Koirala has also objected to making digital verification mandatory.

He argues that digitisation is important but should take place after the general convention rather than before it. According to him, the 15th general convention should be conducted using the membership list that was renewed and updated earlier this year.

“The central working committee formed through the 14th general convention and the committee formed through the special general convention should be merged into a single structure,” Koirala said while making public a five-point proposal on May 25.

Koirala has openly stated that he will not update his membership details.

Former acting president Khadka and former office-bearers Prakash Man Singh, Bimalendra Nidhi, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Shashank Koirala, Bijay Kumar Gachhadar, Prakash Sharan Mahat, NP Saud and Bir Bahadur Balayar have also stayed away from the campaign.

According to party leaders, many of them have instructed district, regional and ward-level leaders aligned with them not to participate in the verification process.

Paudel acknowledged that participation was initially low because many members believed the campaign was designed to benefit particular factions. However, he said the pace has increased in recent weeks.

He said between 20,000 and 22,000 members are now updating their details each day.

Responding to questions about why another verification exercise was needed so soon after the membership renewal drive, Paudel said the party lacked reliable records of many members.

He claimed that in several constituencies, the Congress received fewer votes in elections than the number of active members registered there, raising questions about the accuracy of the membership database.

“During the last elections, we received many complaints about internal betrayal, but it was difficult to verify them,” Paudel said. “In 17 constituencies, the number of votes cast for the Congress was lower than the number of our active members.”

He said the party does not even have telephone numbers for around 100,000 of its active members. Many of the contact numbers on record are either duplicated or incomplete.

“If we can bring members onto a digital platform with complete profiles, it will significantly strengthen our outreach and organisation ahead of future local, and provincial elections,” he said.

Asked why the process could not be postponed until after the general convention, Paudel said making it a precondition for participation was the only way to ensure compliance.

“If we leave it until later, many people will treat it as optional,” he said. “That is why we have made digital verification mandatory for participation in the general convention.”

Paudel also ruled out extending the June 4 deadline.

“Grassroots leaders and members have gradually understood the motif of the campaign,” he said. “Participation is increasing as people realise that many of the concerns raised about the process were based on misinformation and personal interests.”

Paudel went on, “We are confident that around 500,000 members will complete the update by June 4. Our efforts to bring senior leaders into the process will continue, but the deadline itself will not change.”