Voting to elect the Nepali Congress leadership has been postponed until Friday after repeated delays in printing ballot papers prevented polling from taking place on Thursday. 

The voting was originally scheduled for Wednesday and was rescheduled for Thursday. The election committee deferred it again on Thursday, citing continued delays in printing ballot papers and concerns that starting the process late in the evening could push voting well into the night.

After hours of delays, the committee finally decided to start polling from 7am, Friday, saying all the ballot papers had been printed and voting could begin in the morning. 

The delay was partly due to the party’s decision to expand the size of its new central working committee through an amendment to its statute. The change significantly increased the number of candidates and the number of ballot papers required. The election committee had to prepare 23 types of ballot papers for different posts and electoral clusters, with nearly 200,000 papers to be printed, Election Committee member-secretary Raju Katuwal said.

Under the revised schedule, voting will begin at 7am on Friday, with the oldest delegates voting first, and continue until 3pm. Counting will begin immediately after polling ends.

Party leaders said the delay was not purely technical and also reflected political wrangling. Congress chief Gagan Thapa spent much of Wednesday trying to secure consensus on the party’s office-bearers. The effort failed, delaying publication of the final candidate list and, in turn, the printing of the ballot papers, a former office-bearer said.

The postponement frustrated many delegates, some of whom had been waiting in line since 10am with plans to return to their home districts quickly for the Dashain festival. Crowds built up around Tundikhel and the Rastriya Sabha Griha as the election committee repeatedly changed the polling schedule. Some delegates left for home after voting was postponed, while others criticised the party’s handling of the election.

Ritu Mymdan, a delegate from Rasuwa, said repeated changes to the polling schedule had made the process difficult for delegates. With Dashain approaching, many delegates were eager to return home, while those travelling from abroad needed to return to their jobs. Some delegates also came from the districts still affected by recent rains. Another delay, she said, had only added to their difficulties. “Senior leaders spent more time trying to reach an agreement, which delayed the process and made things difficult for all of us,” she said.

Another delegate, Sujan Sapkota, attributed the delay partly to the large number of candidates. Sapkota said internal management issues may also have prolonged the process. Repeated postponements had increased pressure on delegates to leave for their home districts, he said.

The Congress has published a final list of 811 candidates for the party’s 15th General Convention, including those contesting the presidency and various central working committee positions. Three candidates have already been elected unopposed. Bishwa Prakash Sharma has been elected senior vice-president, Pushpa Bhusal vice-president under the women’s quota, and Amita Pradhan Shakya a central member under the women’s Kathmandu Valley category.

That leaves 808 positions to be filled through voting, including the party presidency. Two candidates are contesting the presidency, 13 the vice-presidency, 11 candidates the general secretary posts, and 45 the joint general secretary positions. A further 739 candidates are contesting central working committee seats under various categories.

Seven candidates are contesting open vice-president seats, and five are contesting inclusive-category seats. The 11 candidates for general secretary include eight in the open category and three women.

There are 45 candidates for joint general secretary, including two women, nine in the open category, five from indigenous nationalities, three Dalits, eight Madhesis, four from the Khas Arya community, three Tharus, three Muslims, five from disadvantaged regions and three representing minorities or persons with disabilities.

Among central working committee candidates, 89 are contesting open seats, 36 women’s seats, 75 indigenous nationalities seats, 53 Dalit seats, 38 Madhesi seats and 70 Khas Arya seats. There are also 17 Tharu, 22 Muslim, eight disadvantaged-region and 24 minority or disability-category candidates.

Provincial quotas account for 37 candidates from Koshi, 30 from Madhesh, 20 from Bagmati, 16 from Gandaki, 24 from Lumbini, 19 from Karnali and 29 from Sudurpaschim. Other categories include 27 candidates under the open quota for those aged under 35, 32 from Nepali Congress-affiliated overseas chapters, nine workers, 42 under professional and subject-specific categories, five from Kathmandu Valley, and 17 representing families of democracy fighters, martyrs, and conflict-affected people.

The party has designated the Dashrath Stadium and the Rastriya Sabha Griha as polling venues. Candidates and their supporters spent much of Thursday campaigning around the stadium and Bhrikutimandap, in apparent violation of the election code.

The Congress had introduced detailed rules this time to tighten campaign regulations. Under the code, candidates and their close supporters and campaigners are prohibited from wearing or displaying promotional material bearing a candidate’s photograph, name or election symbol, including caps, T-shirts, jackets, shirts, scarves, badges, masks, and pendants during the campaign.

Candidates and their supporters nevertheless appeared to disregard the rules around the polling areas. Campaigners held marches and processions, accompanied by music and other forms of fanfare, while promotional materials covered roads around Bhrikutimandap.

Following the postponement, the party said it would provide accommodation and meals for delegates through Friday.