Thousands of delegates, party leaders, activists and supporters of the Nepali Congress headed towards Kathmandu’s Khula Manch on Sunday for the opening of the party’s 15th general convention, its first major national gathering under President Gagan Thapa.

The opening ceremony is scheduled to begin at 2pm at Khula Manch, an open ground in the heart of the Capital. The convention is expected to draw more than 7,700 elected delegates from across the country, with large numbers already moving from hotels and other accommodations in areas including Gaushala, Koteshwar, Lazimpat, Thamel, Balaju, New Bus Park, Sundhara and Kalanki.

The Congress has arranged parking at the underground facility at Dharahara, the old Bus Park, Bhrikutimandap, the City Hall, Nepal Academy and the premises of Annapurna Hotel in Durbarmarg. Large buses bringing delegates from outside Kathmandu have been allowed to use one lane of the road between Maitighar and Bhadrakali.

Thapa, who was elected party president at a special convention in January, will address the opening session along with Vice President Bishwa Prakash Sharma and other senior leaders.

Several major political parties have been invited to the ceremony. Nepali Communist Party coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal is expected to attend, while the Rastriya Swatantra Party is sending its chair, Rabi Lamichhane. Rastriya Prajatantra Party chairman Rajendra Lingden is also due to attend.

CPN-UML chair KP Sharma Oli will not attend and will instead send party General Secretary Shankar Pokhrel to represent him and offer greetings, according to UML officials.

Janamat Party chair CK Raut will not attend because his party is holding its second general convention in Birgunj. The Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal will be represented by co-chair Sharat Singh Bhandari, while Shram Sanskriti Party General Secretary Aaren Rai will attend on behalf of chair Harka Sampang.

The opening session will be followed by closed-door discussions on Monday and Tuesday, while elections for the party’s new leadership are scheduled for October 7 and 8.

The convention also comes with a series of changes to the party’s organisational structure and representation following amendments adopted at the special convention. These include guaranteed representation for people below 35, at least 21 young members on the central working committee, a minimum one-third share for women and greater representation of marginalised and minority communities.

The proposed new central working committee will have 232 members. The Congress is also considering increasing the number of office-bearers, including adding vice presidents and general secretaries, as part of the constitutional changes being discussed during the convention.

Several leaders have already announced their bids for senior positions. Congress central member Abdul Sattar has declared his candidacy for joint general secretary from the Muslim cluster, while party leader Deepak Giri has announced his candidacy for central vice president. Youth leader Shankar Tiwari has also entered the race for general secretary, saying he wants to strengthen Thapa’s leadership while providing internal checks on the party president.

The convention is the Congress’s first full-scale leadership election since Thapa took over the party presidency and is expected to shape the party’s organisation and political direction ahead of the next electoral cycle.